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Why life experiences are worth more than buying things โœจ

why life experiences are worth more

Why life experiences are worth more than buying things –

Introduction ๐Ÿ‘‹

Have you ever found yourself thinking – “If I buy new clothes that will make me happy“? ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ’ญ

Maybe you really want to buy something new like:

  • jewelry ๐Ÿ’
  • the latest phone ๐Ÿ“ฑ
  • clothing ๐Ÿ‘•
  • a fancy car ๐ŸŽ๏ธ
  • furniture ๐Ÿ›‹๏ธ

But did you know that research has shown that you’re more likely to be happy if you spend your money on experiences instead?

Today we’re explaining why life experiences are worth more than buying things. โœจ

Disclaimer: This website provides information for guidance and educational purposes only. The Grown-Up School does not provide regulated financial advice. You can seek independent financial advice from a suitably qualified and regulated professional advisor. Check out our disclaimer policy for more information.

The research ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ”ฌ

Studies by the University of Texas at Austin showed that people who spent money on experiences were happier than those who spent their money on objects. โœจ

They even tested different types of experiences against different objects

experiences still won on the happiness scale for every single category. โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ“ˆ

Expensive things vs. experiences ๐Ÿ’ธ

But what if you buy something really expensive? ๐Ÿ’ธ

Surely that would make you happier, right? ๐Ÿค”

No! ๐Ÿคฏ

According to the University of Texas research, regardless of the price of the object, experiences still won on the happiness scale. โš–๏ธโ˜€๏ธ

Making memories ๐Ÿง 

Experiences make life happy, by giving you memories to look back on. ๐Ÿ’ญ๐Ÿ’ž

Do you remember what phone model you had 10 years ago? ๐Ÿ“ฑ

Probably not ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ

On the other hand – you’ll definitely remember the camping trip you spent with your best friends ๐Ÿ•๏ธ๐Ÿ’–

The more experiences you have, the more happy memories you have to look back on! ๐Ÿฅฐ

Even though you probably spend more time using the things you buy

experiences still create more happiness, because of the memories they give us. ๐Ÿ˜ฒโŒ›

Experiences give us meaning ๐Ÿ’–

Have you ever heard about the “Rat Park” experiment? ๐Ÿ€

Simon Fraser University found that when rats were given an empty cage and no meaning in their lives:

  • the rats felt depressed
  • they even turned towards eating illegal drugs left in the cage to make them feel happy. โ˜น๏ธ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’Š

Next, the scientists gave the rats “Rat Park” – the ultimate rat house, filled with lots of activities and other rats to help them find meaning ๐Ÿž๏ธ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ€

In rat park, the rats:

  • were much happier โ˜€๏ธ
  • had lots of meaning in their lives ๐Ÿ’ž
  • ignored the drugs, because they had meaning in their lives that made them happy. ๐Ÿ’Š๐Ÿ™…โ€โ™€๏ธโœจ

If you surround yourself with meaningful life experiences, you could be happy like the happy rats in rat park ๐Ÿž๏ธโ›ฒ๐Ÿ€

Life experiences give us meaning by:

  • making us feel that we matter ๐Ÿ’ž
  • help us to build relationships ๐Ÿฅฐ
  • showing that our actions have an impact on the world around us๐ŸŒ
  • helping us see the world in different ways/perspectives ๐Ÿ‘€

We value objects less over time ๐Ÿ“‰

Can you remember the last new phone you bought? ๐Ÿ“ฑ

At first, it’s really exciting, and fun to have the new phone. ๐Ÿคฉ

But, over time, the phone starts to become “normal”. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿคณ

We don’t wake up every day with the same excitement that we had when we got the phone. ๐Ÿ›Œ๐ŸŽ‰โŒ

We start to value objects less when they become part of our day-to-day lives. ๐Ÿ™„๐ŸŒ…

Suddenly the new phone might become “out of date”. ๐Ÿ’”

This doesn’t happen with experiences – we can continue to enjoy our memories every day. ๐ŸŒ„๐ŸŽ‰

This is something that millionaires often struggle with – they have a lot of money, but fancy, expensive belongings become meaningless over time, because they’re so used to them. ๐Ÿ’ธโ˜น๏ธ

Experiences can cost less ๐Ÿ’ธ

Not only do life experiences make you happier, but they can also cost less! ๐Ÿ’ฐ

Some life experiences can cost very little– or even be free! ๐Ÿ’ณ

Things like:

  • making someone smile ๐Ÿ˜
  • spending time with family/friends ๐Ÿ‘ช
  • going for a walk ๐Ÿƒโ€โ™€๏ธ
  • enjoying the sunshine โ˜€๏ธ
  • going to the library ๐Ÿ“–
  • spending time in nature ๐Ÿž๏ธ๐ŸŒป

can be completely free, and might make you happier than if you bought something!

Experiences to aim for ๐Ÿ“

So, the next time you want to go on a shopping spree – why not reconsider it? ๐Ÿ›๏ธ

Why not buy an experience instead like:

  • Watching sports events ๐Ÿคฝโ€โ™€๏ธ
  • Restaurants ๐Ÿ›
  • Comedy shows ๐Ÿฅธ
  • Family/friend nights ๐Ÿ‘ช
  • Hiking ๐Ÿž๏ธ
  • Reading a book ๐Ÿ“–
  • Hosting a BBQ ๐Ÿณ
  • Music shows ๐ŸŽถ
  • Bowling ๐ŸŽณ
  • Growing a plant ๐ŸŒฑ
  • Going on holiday ๐Ÿ–๏ธ
  • Drawing a picture ๐ŸŽจ

Check out our article 100+ really cheap days out ๐Ÿž๏ธ for cheap experience ideas. ๐Ÿคฉ

Conclusion ๐Ÿ‘

So that’s it!

You can feel more happy by spending more time getting experiences, rather than buying things. ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿž๏ธ

Experiences are great to focus on because they:

  • make us happier โ˜€๏ธ
  • are more valuable than objects, regardless of the price ๐Ÿ’ฐ
  • give us memories to look back on ๐Ÿง 
  • don’t lose value over time like objects do ๐Ÿ“‰
  • bring meaning to our life ๐Ÿ’ž
  • can be cheaper ๐Ÿ’ธ

If you know any friends or family members who might benefit from learning about the value of buying experiencesshare this post with them!

Finally, don’t forget to check out our similar articles below!

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73 self-care ideas ๐Ÿ›€

How to keep control of your money ๐Ÿ’ธ

How to start looking after your money ๐ŸŒฑ

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