Science says you can indeed buy happiness—for as little as $30

When I was about 8 years old, in response to the ubiquitous question of what I wanted to be when I grew up, I responded, “I want to be happy!” The adults chuckled and my inquisitor did not ask any follow-up questions. But my mother later pulled me aside to tell me that being happy wasn’t always something we mere mortals had perfect control over. Mom wanted to prepare me for the reality that happiness couldn’t be planned for or worked toward, like becoming a writer (my usual response to gro...