title: Some "Thing" to Talk About? Differential Story Utility From Experiential and Material Purchases.
abstract: Psychological research has shown that experiential purchases (a hike in the woods, a trip to Rome) bring more happiness than material purchases (a designer shirt, a flat-screen television). The research presented in this article investigates one cause and consequence of this difference: People talk more about their experiences than their possessions and derive more value from doing so. A series of eight studies demonstrate that taking away the ability to talk about experiences (but not material goods) would diminish the enjoyment they bring; that people believe they derive more happiness from talking about experiential purchases; that when given a choice about which of their purchases to talk about, people are more likely to talk about experiential rather than material consumption; and that people report being more inclined to talk about their experiences than their material purchases and derive more hedonic benefits as a result--both in prospect and in retrospect.
authors.affiliation: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA tdg1@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gilovich
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: anticipation; experiential purchases; happiness; materialism; storytelling