To do or to have? That is the question.
Do experiences make people happier than material possessions? In two surveys, respondents from various demographic groups indicated that experiential purchases-those made with the primary intention of acquiring a life experience--made them happier than material purchases. In a follow-up laboratory experiment, participants experienced more positive feelings after pondering an experiential purchase than after pondering a material purchase. In another experiment, participants were more likely to anticipate that experiences would make them happier than material possessions after adopting a temporally distant, versus a temporally proximate, perspective. The discussion focuses on evidence that experiences make people happier because they are more open to positive reinterpretations, are a more meaningful part of one's identity, and contribute more to successful social relationships.
Van Boven
Leaf
L
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, USA. vanboven@colorado.edu
Gilovich
Thomas
T
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D004467:Economics; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010549:Personal Satisfaction