Not the one with the most stuff at home who is the happiest!
It is the one who lives the most experiences who is the happiest.
How so ? Isn't the purpose of life to save money to buy the latest phone, the latest TV or the latest car?
And yes, we have always been led to believe that buying more and more stuff is the best way to be happy.
But the latest scientific studies clearly show that the best way to be happy in the long term is to have experiences.
What kind of experiences? Traveling, doing outdoor activities, learning new skills (speaking a new language, learning a martial art or taking cooking classes, etc.) or going to see exhibitions.
It is certain that a TV lasts longer than a cruise in the Mediterranean.
You might therefore think that you can get more pleasure out of it than a cruise in the Mediterranean.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
“We buy things to make us happy, and in a way that works. At least initially, because the pleasure we get from them does not last,” explains Thomas Gilovich, professor of psychology at Cornell University in the United States.
"At first, it's exciting to buy new things, but you get tired of them quickly," he explains, based on his extensive research on the correlation between money and happiness.
The new TV we just bought is there, still in the same place in the living room. As a result, we get used to it quickly. And slowly, it is becoming more and more part of the decor and we don't even pay attention to it anymore...
On the contrary, the trips we make, and the experiences we live, gradually build our identity.
Think about it:what stood out to you the most?
The video games you were given when you were little or the family trip you took to Greece? You know this trip full of anecdotes that still make you and your family laugh.
"Of course, it's possible to really love the material things that belong to you. You may even think that these material things are part of your identity," says Dr. Gilovich.
"But in fact they are separate from you, he corrects. In comparison, the experiences you live are really part of you. Why? Because we are only the sum of the experiences we live."
Humans are social beings, so social relationships contribute enormously to our happiness.
Gilovich continues, "One of the reasons why spending your money on experiences gives you more long-term pleasure is that it connects you so much more deeply and lastingly to each other."
Experiences build us psychologically, connect us with others and, in fact, bring us a lot of happiness.
So convinced?
If so, take the money you were planning on buying a new sofa or that trendy coat to catch a flight to Thailand, sign up for that Italian cooking class or go to an exhibition in a museum near you.
You will see, it will make you much happier :-)
