How to Buy Happiness: Shopping Is More Likely to Bring You Joy
While true happiness can only be found in the heart, there are many reasons why money can actually buy you some happiness here and there. Here are some of the ways experts think you can write a check and pay it off, luckily.
Of course, happiness is difficult to measure. There is no point system or way to accurately measure the happiness flowing through your bloodstream, and happiness is an emotion that can mean different things to different people, so keep that in mind as you read on. However, buying happiness depends on how you spend your money. It could be your favorite artist’s new album, a trip to the place you’ve been aiming for, or just a cold beer at the end of a long day. This guide won’t reveal the secret to true happiness in your life – whatever that means to you – but it does provide some ideas on how to get the most out of your hard-earned money.
Buy your financial security
Stress is the enemy of happiness, and financial insecurity can be a significant source of stress. Over time, it even starts to negatively affect your health , which is obviously bad for your happiness. Instead of living with worry about your debts and loans, you can begin to repay your happiness by paying them back.
The next time you feel like you have extra money to spend on, look at how much of your savings you can use to pay off debt instead . It takes time to get rid of things like credit card debt, but when you finally get over it, you will feel much happier. Plus, when it comes down to the limit, paying off your credit cards is literally the best financial return for your money .
Profit from experience
Yes, some things you buy can make you happy, but you’ve probably heard that the best use of money is to buy experiences . Our life is built on experience, and the memory of a wonderful vacation will stay with us much longer than a new smartphone. Experience also helps shape you. You can learn a lot about yourself – and what you really want out of life – if you opt for an amazing experience over a new TV that just keeps you glued to the couch.
In a survey conducted by Harvard University psychology professor and author of Stumbled upon Happiness, Dan Gilbert, the majority of respondents – 57% – reported that their happiness comes from their own experiences. Only 34% of respondents said that material goods bring them happiness. Gilbert and colleagues also found that the type of experience was not that important :
But when it comes to happiness, the nature of the activity people do seems to matter less than the fact that they are involved … people were as happy as possible when they thought about what they were doing, and time lag analysis showed that wandering thoughts were the cause, not just the effect of diminishing happiness. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind, and one of the benefits of experience is that it allows us to focus on the present and present.
Staying present, the practice of focusing on the here and now, has long been touted as a great way to maintain happiness. Experience makes it easy, especially if you’ve never done it before. How could you not be in the moment if you are experiencing something completely new? As Elizabeth Dunn, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and co-author of Happy Money: The Science of Smart Spending, explained , “ Change is a huge part of buying happiness. In her research, she found that buying big things, like a house , does not make people happier :
This was one of the most amazing discoveries I have encountered. It’s amazing that what many of us invest our earnings in doesn’t seem to have as much of an impact on our happiness. The system of human happiness is mainly adapted to change, and the houses are very stable.
Therefore, if you want to slightly increase your happiness, you need to go out into the world and do something new. But you don’t have to do it alone! In fact, it may be even better for you to buy the experience of interacting with others. Communication makes us happy, and investing in an experience that you can talk to others about later is a great way to do this. You get the benefits of new experiences as well as the opportunity to feel like you were subsequently involved in something special. Think about what you’ve always wanted to do and invite friends or family. If you can, plan a few things for the future to create anticipation (which will help you have even more fun).
Make it rain for others
When you think about buying happiness, you are probably thinking about spending money on yourself. This is perfectly fine, but there are good reasons to spend money on others to create happiness. Sometimes the sight of someone smiling can do more for you than make yourself smile.
In the speech at the TED higher social sciences researcher Michael Norton describes an experiment that he conducted in Canada, where people were given money and asked to spend a certain amount of money every day. Some were told to buy things for themselves and others for others. When all was said and done, the group, who were told to buy things for others, reported that they felt much happier. Of course, this was in a first world country and was conducted with a sample of fairly wealthy students. They did the same experiment in Uganda, where things are a little different, and got similar results: the group that bought things for others reported more happiness. Of course, if you can’t buy something for others or donate money, volunteering is a great way to buy your happiness with another currency – your time.
Spending money on others does not necessarily mean buying them trinkets and stands. Think of the way you invest in others as if they were stocks or bonds. You know that instead of money, you will get a greater return on happiness. Do you know an artist who is short on money? Buy them canvases and feel the joy when you see them become beautiful paintings. Do you have a niece or nephew who is learning to read? Buy them a collection of books and try not to smile when they read them aloud to you. Sure, you can just throw some money at someone, but finding a way to invest in what they love will make a huge difference to both of you.
Buy the necessary material goods
There is nothing wrong with buying a tangible item, but there are several ways to increase the likelihood that it will actually make you happy. You might get a sudden rush of excitement when you buy something expensive, but nothing kills your happiness faster than a wave of buyer’s remorse.
First of all, spend money where you spend time. It may seem obvious, but spending money on things you actually use will make you much happier. However, people often do not take the ” comfort principle ” into account. For example, if you spend a lot of time sitting in a chair at a table, you will be very happy buying a new chair that is insanely comfortable, even if it doesn’t seem like a “fun” purchase to you. On the other hand, if you rarely ride a bike, a too expensive bike will seem like an expensive item in your garage, which will definitely not make you happy.
When we first started talking about the principle of comfort, we put together a general list that works well:
- 8 hours: (Work) Office chair, computer, office table, monitor
- 2 hours: (Drive) Car, car items
- 1 hour: (Cooking) Kitchen utensils.
- 3 hours: (Relax in the living room) TV, video games, music
- 1 hour: (reading) Kindle / iPad
- 1 hour: (exercise) jogging, treadmill, elliptical trainer
Make your own list and really think about what you are spending your time with. Be careful trying to force yourself to do something. You might think that buying an expensive treadmill will make you run more, but chances are it will just become something in the guest room. Stick to “experimental questions” whenever possible . As with shopping, experience items give you pleasure and excitement for extended periods of time. A good book that you enjoy reading over and over again, or even a video game that delivers hours of entertainment are good examples of this.
If you’re going to spend money on things, your best bet is to spend on inexpensive things. When you buy a bunch of expensive items, they seem exciting and special for a while, only to lose their luster. It’s the same with inexpensive items, but you spend a lot less on them. So go ahead, spend a little and feel the rush of happiness. Just do it with things that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, so that you have limbs when the magic is gone.
Finally, make sure you don’t overdo it. Trying to buy too many things will take away the excitement of buying something. Abundance is the enemy of gratitude, and enjoyment loses its power when you go too far.
Buy yourself more time
It may sometimes seem like it isn’t, but time is even more limited than money. If so, you can take the money you already have and buy more time in several different ways. For example, our own Adam Pasch found that he was much happier by hiring a housekeeper . This freed up his time, and he did not have to argue with his wife about cleanliness. Imagine what you could do with the amount of time you are currently spending cleaning.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be a cleaning lady. It can be anything that frees up time. Services like Amazon Prime Pantry or Yummy.com can shop for you, or a nanny or nanny can watch the kids a couple of times a week. When you have more time to do what you want to do, you will be much happier. It’s not always cheap for this kind of thing, but if you make good use of that extra time it might pay off.
Beware of the traps
As you open your wallet to all of these potential happiness boosters, it’s important to keep the downsides in mind. First, manage your expectations. No one, including experts, believes that you can be happy just by buying things. Experience, time and material possessions may not last that far. Inner peace, love and general satisfaction cannot be bought with any money.
Second, be sure to buy what you like. Not what others like. Following the herd can sometimes make you feel like you are part of a group, but you end up wasting money on things you never really wanted to buy. In such cases, you may be better off looking for a herd that suits you a little better.
Third, since you are making more money, don’t spend more money. This is called “lifestyle inflation,” and it may seem like you’ve never received a pay raise. Spending more money on something that you used to spend less on will not make you happier. Think back to the things that made you happy before your income skyrocket, and tell yourself you don’t need to change that.
With this in mind, find something you like to do, people to invest in, and some items that will bring you real value for money. Is money the key to happiness? No, never believe that it is. But money is a part of our life, and you could just as well spend it on something that pays for the working day.
And one more thing: happiness is not a place to go and relax. Instead, think of it as a garden that requires constant care and maintenance. Once you stop watering and pulling weeds, it may go away. So while it may be true that money cannot make you permanently happy, it can certainly be the quick watering that your plants so desperately need from time to time.