IT HAS long been said that money cannot bring you happiness, but scientists have found that financial reward does make people feel good - especially when they know they are earning more than their peers.

Research showed people were motivated by greed and only felt truly rewarded when they outdid their friends. Scientists at the University of Bonn, in Germany, pitted pairs of men against each other over a series of games, promising to pay them according to their performance.

Using brain-scanning techniques, they found the men only felt happy if they beat their partner and earned more money.