Study reveals one super-common mistake that is stopping people from getting rich

How good would life be if you were filthy rich? It would be amazing, wouldn't it? Swanning off on holiday, wearing outlandish clothes, doing your bit for charity, helping out your family and friends; there is a multitude of things that money can do to make your life better. Every now and then, I lie back on my bed, stare and my peeling, sepia-stained ceiling and get lost in the world of me... but rich. And, it's for this reason and this reason alone, that whenever anyone tells me that"money can't buy you happiness," I laugh in their face. Because it can. It absolutely, one hundred million percent can.

So, what do you need in order to become rich? Well, a lot of luck, inheritance and a good idea are always good starting points. However, for the unlucky, poor and stupid among us (me), there is another personality trait that may be holding us back from the money: our outlook.

Yes, you can have a slice of luck and a good idea if you so wish, but if you're not a positive person, you ain't ever getting your hands on that filthy, filthy, cash.

In a five-year study of hundreds of people, Thomas Corley found one key differentiator between millionaires and others: wealthy people - especially those who were self-made - avoided pessimistic people. Self-made millionaires, he found, were optimists and tried to avoid people with a pessimistic personality.

In an article for Business Insider, Corley explained how optimism and pessimism can affect the brain - particularly when it comes to doing business.

"The reason having a positive mental outlook is actually a prerequisite for being successful is because it allows you to use 100 percent of your brain," he said.

According to the author, through having a negative mindset, you are actually limited the amount of your brain that you are able to use:

"Researchers have found that when you have a negative mental outlook you actually shut off one-third of your brain. Your prefrontal cortex doesn't operate optimally so you're relying on your reptilian brain, and your limbic system, and your brain stem, the older parts of the brain, you don't want that."

On the other hand, Corley claims that taking on a positive attitude can promote function that is conducive to financial success.

"What happens when you have this positive mental outlook, what I found in my research is it toggles on automatically certain success traits you didn't even know you possessed: persistence, resilience, you have patience, and focus."

So there you have it - stop being so negative all the time, it may be holding you back. However, I'd like to think that I have a pretty positive outlook on life and yet here I am: young, broke and with little opportunity to progress in the realm of being a billionaire. So maybe you do need inheritance, a slice of luck and a good idea after all.