Brands, boutiques and purveyors of retail therapy will be delighted in the
latest finding that buying material possessions can, in fact, buy you
happiness.
Buying a new Céline coat or a made-to-measure suit, brings you just as much
happiness as, say, a ski trip, scientists say. However, the happiness
gained from buying things versus that from experiences is a different type,
according to a new study by researchers at the University of British
Columbia.
“The decision of whether to buy a material thing or a life experience may
therefore boil down to what kind of happiness one desires,” said co-author
of the study published in the journal Social Psychology and Personality
Science, Aaron Weidman.
Participants in the study were asked to keep a diary following either a
purchase or an experiential gift received at Christmas, noting how it made
them feel. “Consider a holiday shopper deciding between tickets to a
concert or a new couch in the living room,” said Weidman.
“The concert will provide an intense thrill for one spectacular night, but
then it will end, and will no longer provide momentary happiness, aside
from being a happy memory. In contrast, the new couch will never provide a
thrilling moment to match the concert, but will keep the owner snug and
comfortable each day throughout the winter months.”