May 22nd 2009.

“Having lots of money, good looks and fame may sound like a sure ticket to happiness, but a new study suggests otherwise.

Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York tracked 147 college graduates, evaluating their goals and their happiness at two points in time — one year after graduation, and then 12 months later.

“The attainment of extrinsic, or ‘American Dream,’ goals does not contribute to happiness at all in this group of people, but it actually does contribute to some ill being,” said study author Edward Deci, a psychology professor. The study is published in the June issue of The Journal of Research in Personality.”

Click here for the full article:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=7658253&page=1

By Kathleen Doheny