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Many people know that experiences will make them happier, and yet they continue to spend money on material objects because of their perceived greater value.
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It has been shown by a recent study from San Francisco State University that greater happiness comes from seeking experiences, rather than material objects. Although this may seem like common sense to many readers, reality paints another picture – one in which people most often spend their money on material items because they mistakenly believe that they have greater value.People do this because material items are tangible; they have measurable economic value attached to it; and they're always present, able to be used or seen. Memories of experiences, on the other hand, are fleeting experiences, temporary purchases with no concrete price tag.
And yet, people are never as happy in the long run after spending money on material items than they are after forking out for adventures, travel, and experiences.
Camping out on top of the 15th guard tower on the Simatai stretch of the Great Wall of China and waking up the next morning at the very top of the clouds, the guard towers peeking through, and the sunrise casting everything in golden light and rainbows, was one of the happiest moments of my life. On the other hand, my last laptop, a real Thinkpad, was like an extension of my body and made me feel happy and productive every day for years. So is it really that things can't make you as happy as experiences, or that meaningless consumption of meaningless things can't make you happy?
Original Submission
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 28 2015, @05:17PM
Study may be flawed, but its conclusion matches my own experience.
I know lots of people who claw their way to more and more income to buy more / bigger crap. And, if they are happy, it is an odd sort of happiness that often leads to stress related illness and death.
I know a few free spirits who get by, but who's lives are filled with joy and who have *lived* more in a year, than the prior group *lives* in a lifetime.
Me, I am in between. Never gave a shit about stuff (I don't watch TV, listen to radio, or surf the web without an ad blocker), but I am currently working my butt off while saving to buy rental properties so I can have passive income to return to the traveling / experience lifestyle.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Sunday June 28 2015, @07:09PM
I recall seeing an arrival that stated that increased income did increase happiness up to around $70k/yr. After that more money did not increase happiness.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2015, @02:12AM
A good friend and I had this discussion a few years ago. He might live in a more expensive area than you do, so he set the bar at about $100K for himself (and family).
In his business, he worked with some big name sports stars -- who had multimillion dollar contracts. His comment, not much point in making double or triple the $100K per year, it doesn't buy much of lasting value. However, the sports stars with much higher income could travel by private jet, and that really made a difference in quality of life (assuming their income was more than enough to afford the high cost).
Once I was fortunate to go to a one-day business meeting...by LearJet (along with three co-workers). It sure was nice to walk into the general aviation terminal, meet the pilot and co-pilot, walk out to the plane, get on and take off. I could get used to traveling that way...and I would probably travel much more (hate being in airports since 9/11).