With all of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals around, it has got us thinking... Material things - can they make us happy?
It is said that material items cannot bring us true happiness because happiness cannot be purchased. Once you buy that thing you've been hankering after, the excitement wears off. It's only a temporary distraction, and the more you have the more you crave. The reality is, having less stuff equals less stress.
There are, however, some things we can buy that will make us happier. Buying experiences has a longer-lasting benefit to our wellness than buying material items because experiences such as holidays will long be remembered. Plus, it has been found that memories of holidays distort over time so that we only recall the happiest parts of them.
Additionally, numerous studies have shown that buying something for someone else makes us much happier than spending money on ourselves. Again, this seems counter-intuitive.
🤝 The common link is sociability - or as I like to refer to as socialisation. When we spend money on an experience it is more often than not that we are spending it with another person, we are sharing the experience. When we give to another, we are again sharing the experience.
It is then perhaps not so surprising that you don't actually have to give material items to receive the benefits of giving. And, more importantly, you don't have to do it every day apparently. Doing something nice for someone else; helping a friend out, giving blood, or volunteering for a not-for-profit are all ways to gain greater long-lasting happiness than buying a material item for yourself.
I still enjoy my material items and I am not for a moment suggesting you shouldn’t shop to make yourself happy. By all means if it works, do it. Attaching an emotion to the material item is what I look for.
💛 Lastly, a simple act of kindness to another will make you happier for longer and is something that you will probably never forget.
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