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According to a study published this month by the National Academy of Sciences, the more we believe an item is worth, the happier we are with it, at least for a while. Even if the object is cheap and worthless, if we believe that it’s expensive, it makes us happy.

In the study, participants were hooked up to brain scan machines and asked to sip five glasses of wine which cost between $5 and $90 a bottle. When they were told they were drinking the $90 a bottle wine, brain scans showed increased activity in the area of the brain that registers pleasure, even if they were actually drinking the $5 a bottle wine.

According to the lead author of the study, “People believe that more expensive prices are correlated with higher quality, and if you believe that something better is happening to you, that affects the way your brain handles the experience.”

Think about how differently we feel about a Mercedes and a Camry, or a Rolex and a Casio. They each perform the same basic function, but we somehow would feel better with the more expensive version.

In addition to feeling happier, there is a link to self-esteem as well. According to psychologist and author of I Shop, Therefore I Am, April Benson, “Many people want more than they have because they want to be more than they are – so buying equals being more.” In short, people are confusing an item’s worth with their own self-worth. The feeling of happiness that follows a pricey purchase may be in part an attempt to rationalize the money spent. We think: ‘I must be worth it. I must be worth a lot if I’m buying this expensive item.’

So then, does this mean happiness and self-esteem are only a shopping trip away? Not at all; according to the study scans done, the brain’s pleasure centers only reacted to the enjoyment of the expensive wine for a few fleeting seconds. After that, the joy was gone.

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Image: Phoebe by Susy Keely, 2005.