count money before appro women in bars

Count money before approaching women in bars: Study

Suggesting the symbolic power of money, a new study has found that counting money makes people feel better about themselves -- even if it isn't your own.

According the study, published in Psychological Science, the psychological benefits increase feelings of internal strength, fearlessness and confidence, prompting a researcher to suggest that counting cash before a night out could also help men approach women in bars.

A series of studies which tested the symbolic power of money found that although it may not buy us love, it does has a strong effect on our emotions, the Daily Telegraph reported today.

"Maybe young men who are going out to bars to try to meet women should count money," co-researcher Dr Roy Baumeister, of Florida State University, was quoted as saying by the British daily.

"These effects speak of the power of money, even as a symbol, to change perceptions of very real feelings such as pain," said study leader Kathleen Vohs, of Minnesota University.

In a test on 84 students at Sun Yat-Sen University in China, the social distress level on participants who had counted money before being socially excluded in an online psychological video game, Cyberball, was lower than those who had counted only paper.

Moreover, those who had counted money also reported greater feelings of inner strength and self-sufficiency.