Who says money can't buy you happiness?

It can -- as long as you make more money than your friends, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Warwick and Cardiff University.

According to the study's results, which were published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers took a look at the earnings and life satisfaction levels of people in Britain.

Their conclusion: earning more money only makes people happier if they feel richer than their friends and neighbors.

If this is true universally, I suppose it says a lot about human nature. Some people, unfortunately, only feel good when they imagine that they are "better" than others in some way. Especially financially. But if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: Your self worth does not equal your net worth. You can be a perfectly good person, a good wife or husband, a trusted friend, a great employee, or whatever, and not have much money to speak of. That doesn't take away from your worth as a human being. Nor should it make you feel bad about yourself.

I wonder if this survey was done among Americans whether it would have had the same exact findings. In many ways, I think it would. Too often, people here also think that they can only be happy "when I get" .... fill in the blank. It might be a new car, a new house, a bigger paycheck, or some other material possession. Sure, some people think they'll be happy when they meet the person of their dreams, but that's another story. For the most part, money drives so much of what motivates Americans.

What are your thoughts? Are you happy for your friends, family members or colleagues when they succeed financially? Or do you feel a bit sad or depressed when you know that everyone else earns more money than you do?

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Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, an award-winning financial news journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, has also been featured in top newspapers including the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times, as well as magazines ranging from Essence and Redbook to Black Enterprise and Smart Money. Check out her New York Times bestseller, 'Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.'