This week in class, we touched on a topic I find so thought-provoking: how Americans are always so focused on money and tangible items. I would definitely agree that most Americans are like this, but I do not think it’s an effective way of spending money to enrich a person’s life.
I read an article this week that showed how buying “experiences” instead of buying “things” will actual benefit your overall happiness. What this basically means is, people gain more happiness from having experiences (like a trip to Greece) than they would gain from buying, say, the newest iPhone.
Waiting for that trip to happen, planning the itinerary for that trip is said to bring a person so much more excitement since it’s an experience you are waiting to have.
After awhile, our tangible possessions we have bought “become background.” We stop appreciating them because they are just there, part of our everyday scenery. When we create experiences for ourselves, we’re stepping outside that scenery we are so accustomed to: talking to different people, eating different foods, etc. "Even a bad experience becomes a good story." When we go on a trip and have an embarrassing or funny experience, it becomes a great story to tell. When we get frustrated or something goes wrong with the technology in our lives or our belongings, it doesn’t amuse anyone and no one really wants to retell that story.
Learning to reflect on these bad experiences we’ve had on trips is a skill we develop. It’s far enough away and has enough nostalgia tied with it that we can find some sort of good from it no matter what. This is the opposite with material possessions, they’re too close for us to still see them as a satisfying purchase when something goes wrong. Maybe it’s time to stop investing so much in material items, and go seek out some real experiences, almost buying yourself some stories to tell.
I read an article this week that showed how buying “experiences” instead of buying “things” will actual benefit your overall happiness. What this basically means is, people gain more happiness from having experiences (like a trip to Greece) than they would gain from buying, say, the newest iPhone.
Waiting for that trip to happen, planning the itinerary for that trip is said to bring a person so much more excitement since it’s an experience you are waiting to have.
After awhile, our tangible possessions we have bought “become background.” We stop appreciating them because they are just there, part of our everyday scenery. When we create experiences for ourselves, we’re stepping outside that scenery we are so accustomed to: talking to different people, eating different foods, etc. "Even a bad experience becomes a good story." When we go on a trip and have an embarrassing or funny experience, it becomes a great story to tell. When we get frustrated or something goes wrong with the technology in our lives or our belongings, it doesn’t amuse anyone and no one really wants to retell that story.
Learning to reflect on these bad experiences we’ve had on trips is a skill we develop. It’s far enough away and has enough nostalgia tied with it that we can find some sort of good from it no matter what. This is the opposite with material possessions, they’re too close for us to still see them as a satisfying purchase when something goes wrong. Maybe it’s time to stop investing so much in material items, and go seek out some real experiences, almost buying yourself some stories to tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment