Implicit in the research are possible avenues, or even “royal roads,” to increased well-being.Research shows that our automatic assumptions of what brings happiness are often incorrect. For example, in contrast to the popular belief that attaining the American dream of financial success will make you feel good, this belief is not strongly associated with happiness. In fact, the reverse is often found, as in the case of lottery winners (Brickman, Coates, & Janoff-Bulman, 1978). Diener (2000) and Csikszentmihalyi and Hunter (2003) found clear correlations between a sense of well-being and having one’s survival and safety needs met, but beyond that there is a surprisingly low correlation. The usual pattern shows us that jumps in success have a short-lived impact that wears off as individuals acclimate to their new possessions or positions. This phenomenon leads to what has been called the “hedonic treadmill.” Some studies indicate there is a negative relationship between materialism and happiness. For example, when you control for preexisting cheerful-ness and parental income, having monetary reward as a primary goal has a negative effect on satisfaction with family life, friendships, and one’s job (Nickerson, Schwartz, Diener, & Kahneman, 2003).