Why are we reluctant to sell friendship?

There are a number of indicators that people try to keep money out of socia l relationships, and a number of reasons why such separation might occur: u ndermining of intrinsic motivation, contamination of signals of friendship, and the apparently irrational tainting influence of money. Two experiments in which psychology students participated in brief conversations under var ious payment conditions found little evidence for payment adversely affecti ng the social interactions. A third study comparing a service group (hairdr essers) that has considerable social interaction with its customers and a c ontrol group indicated that the former did not suffer any undermining of no rmal social motivation. Overall, the findings suggest that the separation o f money from social relationships may not have a rational foundation.