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HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING

Make your purchases extraordinary

Nature Reviews Psychology volume 1, page 67 (2022)Cite this article

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When I look at the photographs of a trip I took to Paris in 2014 with my best friend, the images are more meaningful to me than anyone could imagine. In 2015, Gilovich and Kumar reviewed the evidence showing that investments that give us experiences that encompass the joy of new knowledge or the excitement of sharing moments with others tend to bring us more lasting happiness than material purchases.

The effort of consumers to achieve the good life described by Gilovich and Kumar has been widely debated. Extensive research has investigated the effects of spending on happiness. Generally, studies support the concept that the type of goods purchased and the nature of the experience influence the happiness gained. Experiential investments, such as holidays, days out and meals out, are often compared to material investments, such as jewellery, clothing and electronics.

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References

Original article

  • Gilovich, T. & Kumar, A. We’ll always have Paris: the hedonic payoff from experiential and material investments. Adv. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 1, 147–187 (2015)

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  • Gaston-Breton, C., Sørensen, E. B. & Thomsen, T. U. “I want to break free!” How experiences of freedom foster consumer happiness. J. Bus. Res. 121, 22–32 (2020)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Sibele D. Aquino

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  1. Sibele D. Aquino
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Correspondence to Sibele D. Aquino.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Aquino, S.D. Make your purchases extraordinary. Nat Rev Psychol 1, 67 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-021-00017-9

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