things

Can things make you happy? Finally, studies that confirm what I have suspected for a while and all point to one conclusion: spending money for an experience – concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco – produces longer lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff. Whereas most physical goods tend to lose their appeal as the purchaser becomes accustomed to them, experiences strengthen social bonds and pay dividends over time. We reminisce about them, talk about them and even the most hellish of vacations or road trips turn out to be money well spent.