Crash Survival Zone

Poll finds one-third of Americans stay awake worrying about personal finances

Almost a third of all Americans are tossing and turning, unable to get a good night’s sleep because they’re worrying about the economy, their jobs or their money, a new poll finds.

Money woes far outweigh other problems, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, [...]

Money may be able to buy happiness after all – but only if you choose to spend it on the right things.

Psychologists have found that people who spend their money on simple experiences such as going to the theatre, dining out or taking adventure holidays tend to be happier with their purchases than those who [...]

by Julian D.W. Phillips

The world is facing a buckling drop in the level of confidence on so many fronts. Bankers don’t trust each other, investors are fearful of further bad news. Financial systems have not been repaired and remain vulnerable. Local and global economies are shrinking and telling us the worst. Currencies are faring badly [...]

Those who have a job in what is the worst employment market since the end of World War II can certainly count themselves lucky. But they are also counting a lot of sheep on sleepless nights as fears about the future grow.

The stress is worse for those without a job as the dismal economy makes [...]

Whether they are seeking it out or not, people seem to be digesting unhealthy doses of bad economic news these days, through hysterical headlines, their own bank statements, their investment brokers’ grim excuses or water cooler commiseration sessions.
Even those who still have jobs and who aren’t depending on their life savings to enter retirement aren’t [...]

In the 1960s, Stanford University psychology researcher Walter Mischel conducted a longitudinal study. Mischel placed marshmallows in front of hungry four-year-old children. He told them they could have one marshmallow now, or if they could wait several minutes, they could have two. Some children quickly grabbed the marshmallow and ate it. Others waited.

Mischel followed the [...]

If you’re feeling down, don’t worry. You’ve got company. Economists and psychologists say that recessions tend to make nearly everyone less happy.

The good news, though, is that recent research suggests as long as you don’t lose your job, your mood probably won’t sour as much as the GDP. What’s more, you’re unlikely to stay feeling [...]

If you’re feeling down, don’t worry. You’ve got company. Economists and psychologists say that recessions tend to make nearly everyone less happy.

The good news, though, is that recent research suggests as long as you don’t lose your job, your mood probably won’t sour as much as the GDP. What’s more, you’re unlikely to stay feeling [...]

Economic woes ratchet up mental health problems already more common this time of year
Sagging spirits, sagging economy. That’s the holidays this year, with many people both blue and broke — the usual melancholy compounded by the highest jobless rate in three decades and a jackknifing stock market.
“Mental health problems are common and spike more often [...]

Turns out that peacock tails and plasma screen TVs might mean the same thing from a biological perspective.
Relatively recent overspending patterns among men are merely the result of an evolutionary drive to attract mates, according to new research from University of Michigan researcher Daniel Kruger.
Prof. Kruger looked at a random sample of men aged 18-45 [...]