A recent psychological study found that more is less, at least when it comes to making a neurotic person happier on pay day.
Neurotic people are more prone to feeling anxious, sad or depressed, according to the University of Warwick's Dr. Proto, so even a substantial pay raise would be considered a failure if it wasn't as much as they'd hoped for.
Conversely, "someone who has high levels of neuroticism will see an income increase as a measure of success. When they are on a lower income, a pay increase does satisfy them because they see that as an achievement," said Dr. Proto.
The idea, he added, is that we view money as a way to measure success and failures, rather than a means to better our lives.