The sum of money just appeared in my bank account, but was so insulting low that I felt devalued. If a manager had just talked to me about how much my work was

The sum of money just appeared in my bank account, but was so insulting low that I felt devalued. If a manager had just talked to me about how much my work was appreciated, it would have been better than money. I see this repeated and repeated. I would love for someone to point me to an unbiased study from a reputable think tank that confirms this management meme. I think it is BS, I think it is a way for management to validate disproportionately lower bonuses for the doers.