How fairness affects our brains and our happiness; More important than money

UCLA researchers using brain imaging techniques have found that the parts of the brain associated with happiness are the same ones that get stimulated when subjects feel that they are being treated in a fair manner. In other words, we are hard-wired to feel happy when we perceive that we are being treated equitably. Not surprisingly, when we feel that we are being treated unfairly, the region of our brains that is activated is one that is also linked to negative emotions (such as moral disgust). Their work is published in the April 08 issue of Psychological Science.

"We had never thought of things like ethics or fairness as being tied to neurons, but they are," says Joy Hirsch, PhD, who directs the Program for Imaging and Cognitive Sciences at New York's Columbia University.

Perhaps the most important lesson and one that managers, employers and negotiators should heed, fairness is often a more important determinant of happiness than monetary reward.