Jean Chatzky had been a "personal finance expert" for some time when 9/11 happened, and many people-- including herself-- began to wonder about what really makes us happy, and whether money has anything to do with it at all, after 9/11 happened. Happily, she had the resources to find out: she commissioned a money-and-happiness survey, the results of which she explicates in this book.
It turns out that, though not having enough money can make you sad, money beyond a certain point doesn't make you happier. Also, there was a list of financial habits which, if you kept several of them, can make a little money seem like a lot more. (The ones I can remember off the top of my head are paying bills as they come in rather than in one bill-paying session, and being organized enough that you can find the financial documents you need within about ten minutes of looking.)
Perhaps the most refreshing thing about this book is the fact that, while she does give some potential explanations for Why These Things Are So, she doesn't focus on them. She just focuses on how to help her readers have a relationship with money that doesn't cause them pain and does, to the extent it can, bring happiness.
I found this book to be really depressing to read (possibly because I did it, more or less, in one sitting) but extremely helpful.
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