Are the benefits of high-octane gasoline worth the price?

[Kizarvexius]

When it comes to cars and driving, I prefer practicality over style any day. I drive a Saturn wagon, which is not remotely likely to turn any admiring heads, and the manner in which I conduct my vehicle as I wend my way down the avenue is slow (read: at the speed limit) and careful (read: boring).

As I wish my vehicle to last for as long as possible, I try to maintain it to the best of my ability (which is, admittedly, not saying much). Along with regular fluid and filter changes, I am in the habit of selecting high-octane gasoline during the fortnightly fueling ritual.

My question is this: are the benefits I gain by filling my tank with supreme unleaded worth the extra money I am paying? Again, I am not a performance driver, and my car is a 6-cylindar station wagon. Am I doing something good for my car, or wasting money?