13 Mar These types of purchases will make you happier, study finds
Despite what many say and think, it is possible to buy happiness.
You just need to make the right purchases; and you’ll definitely enjoy some happiness as a result.
Want to know how and why? Read on to find out where happiness lies…
via the Ladders by John Anderer
Every now and then it’s important to treat yourself. We all work hard to achieve our goals, maintain successful careers, and of course, make sure those bills are paid on time. In the midst of all that, it can be easy to forget about doing something nice for ourselves. If you’re on the lookout for your next splurge, the findings of a new study conducted at The University of Texas at Austin could seriously sway your next impulse buy.
In a nutshell, they’ve concluded that purchasing experiences over material goods almost always leads to more feelings of happiness.
There’s a definite psychological effect at play here; the grass is always greener. When we’re thinking about buying an expensive new jacket, watch, or video game system, we all tend to envision ourselves post-purchase as happy and content. Most of the time, once we’ve actually purchased said item, it hardly compares to what we built up in our head.
Of course, experiences can be the same way. Imagine you bought tickets to a music festival and assumed it would be the best weekend of your life. Well, it rained during the festival and you came down with a cold. Not exactly a weekend for the record books. Still, as time goes on you’ll probably have some fond memories of hanging out with friends, running for cover from the rain, and sneezing your way through your favorite band’s set. Therein lies the difference between purchasing experiences and physical items. For better or worse, we own our experiences, while oftentimes the goods we buy end up owning us.
“One issue that hasn’t really been examined much is what happens in the here and now — are we happier spending our money on an experience or on a material item?” Comments lead author Amit Kumar, assistant professor of marketing at UT, in a press release. “The basic finding from a lot of experiments is that people derive more happiness from their experiences than from their possessions.”
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University collaborated on this project as well.
In all, they collected 2,535 adults to take part in the study, all of whom were randomly assigned to either material goods or experiential purchases group. All of the subjects were periodically sent text messages designed to assess their emotions and spending habits. People in the material group bought items like jewelry, clothing, or furniture, while those in the experiential group spent their money on sporting events, restaurants, and a variety of other experiences.The Lion King on Disney+Ad by Disney+ See More
Regardless of cost, participants who purchased experiences reported feeling happier in both the short and long term…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE