Science 17 November 2006: Vol. 314. no. 5802, p. 1045 DOI: 10.1126/science.314.5802.1045k This Week in Science Money can be exchanged for material goods that are essential for our physiological and psychological well-being, but are there direct effects of money on our psychological state and behavior? Vohs et al. (p. 1154; see the Perspective by Burgoyne and Lea) primed human subjects to think about having money and found that these subjects acted in a more self-sufficient fashion than those who were not primed. Possessing money made it less likely that subjects would ask for help in solving a problem, or offer help to another person, or make donations. In addition, subjects with money would distance themselves--literally and figuratively--from others.