Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Experiences > Possessions?
Even in tough times, people find that they have money to spare. The question is-- spend it on an experience or a possession?
A study shows that maybe an experience might just bring satisfaction more than a posession can. For on, experiences can make you feel "alive" in a way a new computer can't. Experiences are things that you can look back at and make you feel good even long after it happening. On the other hand, the joy of a new possession, like a new car, can fade over time.
Some point out that having a good experience also lessens self-consciousness-- after all, you won't care if your friend saw more places if they saw more sights than you on their vacation (or at least, not as much as they would if they bought a bigger TV than you).
Here is a quote on the actual study:
"Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, presented his findings this week at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting.
The study looked at 154 people enrolled at San Francisco State University, with an average age of about 25. Participants answered questions about a recent purchase -- either material or experiential -- they personally made in the last three months with the intention of making themselves happy.
While most people were generally happy with the purchase regardless of what it was, those who wrote about experiences tended to show a higher satisfaction at the time and after the experience had passed.
The most striking difference was in how participants said others around them reacted to either the purchased object or experience. Experiences led to more happiness in others than purchases did. A sense of relatedness to others -- getting closer to friends and family -- may be one of the reasons why experiences generate more happiness."
Landau, E. (2009, February, 10). Study: Experiences make us happier than possessions.
CNN, Retrieved February 20, 2009, from
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/10/happiness.possessions/index.html
A study shows that maybe an experience might just bring satisfaction more than a posession can. For on, experiences can make you feel "alive" in a way a new computer can't. Experiences are things that you can look back at and make you feel good even long after it happening. On the other hand, the joy of a new possession, like a new car, can fade over time.
Some point out that having a good experience also lessens self-consciousness-- after all, you won't care if your friend saw more places if they saw more sights than you on their vacation (or at least, not as much as they would if they bought a bigger TV than you).
Here is a quote on the actual study:
"Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, presented his findings this week at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting.
The study looked at 154 people enrolled at San Francisco State University, with an average age of about 25. Participants answered questions about a recent purchase -- either material or experiential -- they personally made in the last three months with the intention of making themselves happy.
While most people were generally happy with the purchase regardless of what it was, those who wrote about experiences tended to show a higher satisfaction at the time and after the experience had passed.
The most striking difference was in how participants said others around them reacted to either the purchased object or experience. Experiences led to more happiness in others than purchases did. A sense of relatedness to others -- getting closer to friends and family -- may be one of the reasons why experiences generate more happiness."
Landau, E. (2009, February, 10). Study: Experiences make us happier than possessions.
CNN, Retrieved February 20, 2009, from
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/10/happiness.possessions/index.html
Labels: school work
itsyourtimeso
9:32 AM
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