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Reading Time: 2 minutes Learn the benefits of laughter for your mental and physical well-being.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Learn the benefits of laughter for your mental and physical well-being.
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Reading Time: 5 minutes Finding happiness can seem like a complex, mystical equation. But increasing your happiness is shockingly simple with this scientifically proven strategy.
Reading Time: 11 minutes Money, fame, love, sports, chocolateâwhat works? Learn 8 scientifically proven ways to be happier.
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This infographic is adapted from a design by Satoru Hirose, which is in turn based on a blog post by Eric Barker at Barking Up The Wrong Tree.
Barker, E. (2016). This is the fun way to easily improve your life, backed by research. Barking Up The Wrong Tree. Retrieved from https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2016/07/improve-your-life/
Hirose, S. (2016, July 28). Sketchnote #18: Power of humor. SaturoHirose.com. Retrieved from https://sketchnote.satoruhirose.com/2016/07/power-of-humor/
Ultimately, we all get to choose how we spend our disposable income, even if thereâs not much of it. And itâs our experiences, not our possessions, that are our main source of happiness and our sense of who we are, research shows. âNobody would say that your identity is the kind of car you drive,â says Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a social psychologist at the University of California, Riverside, and author of The Myths of Happiness (Penguin, 2013). âWho you are as a person is more about all the experiences youâve had throughout your life.â In a 2009 study, students reported that experiences made them feel more alive than possessions did, according to the Journal of Positive Psychology.
OK, we get it: The thrill of the climbing wall trumps the new jeans. Being suspended in the air with the adrenaline junkies is what will shape you, help you connect with others, and leave you with stories worth sharing. And thatâs just the beginning. For nine ways to spend your money (and your time) on what will expand your identity and happiness, instead of your clutter, read on.[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion style=”modern” shape=”square” color=”mulled-wine” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”0″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”How to up your happy” tab_id=”1508974305161-741a462d-b016″][vc_column_text]More good news: Happiness is accessible, and the college years are the perfect time to go get it.
How? By gathering experiences, not stuff. Why? A bunch of reasons:
âWho you are is the sum of your experiences but not the sum of your things,â says Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a social psychologist at the University of California, Riverside.
âEven when an experience goes wrong, we appreciate it. âPeople tend to focus on what they learned or how they grew as a result of something negative,â says Dr. Lyubomirsky.
âEven though [our things] last physically, itâs our experiences that live on in the identity we form and the connections we make,â says Dr. Thomas Gilovich, happiness researcher and professor of psychology at Cornell University, New York.
A 2010 analysis of eight studies confirmed that we tend to ruminate on and compare the stuff we buy more than we doubt the value of our experiences (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology).
Experiences often strengthen our relationships. âThe social aspect is really one of the keys to happiness. Shared experiences can do a lot, and people can anticipate and reminisce about them together,â says Dr. Lyubomirsky.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_column_text]Trying something new, pushing yourself, developing a skillâthese experiences are usually worth the investment. Your everyday blah has less to give you, experts say. âThink about the experience of watching TV and having an identity of âIâm a TV watcher.â How gratifying is that? Not terribly,â says Dr. Thomas Gilovich, happiness researcher and professor of psychology at Cornell University, New York. âBut if youâre out in the wilderness camping with friends and have the identity of âIâm adventurous,â thatâs likely to be very gratifying.â
Start a hiking group that meets on weekends, or join a tennis league. If youâre a big reader, try a book club to add the social element. Sometimes, we need to purchase items in order to access formative experiences. Those hiking boots or the latest J. K. Rowling novel will set you up for self-discovery and maybe new friends.
This is totally free and can up your happy. Record your thoughts, insights, memories, and stories in a place you can revisitâlike a journal, blog, or note-keeping app. Print some of your photos (yes, you can still do that) and keep them visible so you recall those good times.
Good news: âA lot of experiences that provide happiness arenât very expensive,â says Dr. Gilovich.
Then be wary of going near your Amazon wishlistâyouâre more likely to make impulsive purchases and experience buyerâs remorse, according to a 2014 survey (CreditCards.com). Shopping is best done with a calm mind.
OK, fine, you do need some things, like pants. When students researched a product before buying, they experienced less buyerâs remorse, in a study by a researcher at Kansas State University (2011).
The pleasure of clean, organized space may make it easier to stop buying things you donât need. Marie Kondo, author of the bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Ten Speed Press, 2014), recommends pulling out everything you own and asking yourself, âDoes it spark joy?â Yes? Keep. No? Donate, recycle, or toss.[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion shape=”square” color=”black” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”0″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Why happy matters” tab_id=”1508973412401-dc7774db-f2f4″][vc_column_text]So we canât buy happinessâfine. But letâs not pretend money is irrelevant. Really, weâre talking about having a good life in ways you can sustain. And thatâs important, because expanding your happy expands a whole lot of other things too, like your resilienceâyour ability to deal with the not-so-good stuff.
Research suggests that âin-the-moment positive emotionsâ (such as affection, curiosity, compassion, love, and amusement) build our coping resourcesâour ability to handle challenges and stress. This in turn gives us access to a more satisfying life.
âHappier people are healthier, more productive, more creative, and more charitable. They have more successful relationships and make more money. The evidence is pretty strong that good things come to those who are happier.â
âDr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, social psychologist, University of California, Riverside, and author of The Myths of Happiness (Penguin, 2013)[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_column_text]
âThere are so many other things I could spend my hard-earned money on. But will I remember the feel of a shiny new car, or the tears of joy as I paraglided through the Swiss Alps? I spend my money on experiences that make me feel alive.â
âKira Collings, second-year dietetics student, Utah State University
Follow us on Instagram, and donât forget to use the hashtag #happyspending
Online tool and app for managing money: Mint.com
Apply happiness research to your own life: Greater Good Science Center
Pursue happiness and good habits: Gretchen Rubin
Quitting the consumer culture: Center for a New American Dream
Interactive modules on money stuff: FoolProof Financial Education Systems
Student budget calculator: Bankrate.com
Thomas Gilovich, PhD, professor of psychology, Cornell University, New York.
Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, professor of psychology, University of California, Riverside.
Carter, T. J., & Gilovich, T. (2010). The relative relativity of material and experiential purchases. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(1), 146–159. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20053039
Dovey, C. (2015, June 9). Can reading make you happier? The New Yorker. Retrieved from
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/can-reading-make-you-happier
Gilovich, T., & Kumar, A. We’ll always have Paris: The hedonic payoff from experiential and material investments. In: James M. Olson and Mark P. Zanna, (Eds.) Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 51. Burlington: Academic Press, 2015, pp. 147–187.
Howell, R. T., & Hill, G. (2009). The mediators of experiential purchases: Determining the impact of psychological needs satisfaction and social comparison. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(6), 511–522.
Huffman, M. (2011, April 8). How to avoid buyer’s remorse. Consumer Affairs. Retrieved from
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2011/04/how-to-avoid-buyer-s-remorse.html
Kumar, A., & Gilovich, T. (2014). Talking about what you did and what you have: Differential story utility from experiential and material purchases. In Simona Botti and Aparna Labroo (Eds.), Advances in Consumer Research, Volume 41. Duluth, MN: Association for Consumer Research. Retrieved from
https://acrwebsite.org/volumes/1014578/volumes/v41/NA-41
Lyubomirsky, S. L., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 14, 803–855.
Merzer, M. (2014, November 23). Survey: 3 in 4 Americans make impulse purchases. CreditCards.com. Retrieved from
https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/impulse-purchase-survey.php
Saxbe, D. E., & Repetti, R. (2010). No place like home: Home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(1), 71–81. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19934011
Student Health 101 survey, July 2015.
Van Boven, L., & Gilovich, T. (2003). To do or to have? That is the question. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(6), 1193–1202.