But apparently not like you think.

A new study out suggests that money makes people happy when they spend it on others, give it away to social causes. The study, cited in Science, seems to indicate that there is greater happiness when people spend money on those they can help. That’s not to suggest they have to sacrifice their own well-being to do so, but the study (written about in a recent Yahoo article) does reveal some interesting data and conclusions.

Amanda Gardner (author of the Yahoo article) writes: “Hikes in income can help boost happiness, but the effect is weak, prior studies have found. Research has also found that as the average income rises within a society, people’s reported levels of happiness remain relatively static.”

She goes on to report: A sample of “632 Americans (roughly equivalent between genders) to rate their happiness, report their annual income and estimate how much they spend on a typical month on different items, including gifts to others and donations to charity. Those who had more of this ‘pro-social’ spending were also happier, the team found.”

Read the entire article.