Can Materialism Make You Happy?

479770657Books are considered experiential products because reading them allows one to experience the author’s mind and interests.

“Money can’t buy me love,” so the oldie goes, and most people would agree that happiness isn’t to be found in possessions or their pursuit. We all love to decry materialism—while secretly coveting the latest stuff! When it comes to measuring what makes us happy, psychologists have shown that the more materialistic a person is, the more likely she or he is to experience dissatisfaction with life and suffer depression, among other maladies. But there is “good news for materialists”!

Researchers have found that “experiential products”—things that engage your senses, or that facilitate experiences—do in fact contribute to personal happiness. Whether the thing is a guitar, some hiking gear, a tennis racket, or even a book or video game, if it provides, or enables you to gain, skills or knowledge or a valuable social experience, it can enhance your happiness. It’s the connection to experience that is key: you experience making music, exploring the outdoors, playing a sport, or engaging with an author’s mind or a game designer’s virtual world.

Experiences can improve over time through our memories; they don’t rust or fade. We are less likely to compare our experiences with those of others than we are to compare our material things, and are thus less likely to feel dissatisfaction with them. While a piece of jewelry or an article of clothing might involve a level of personal expression, still it is just something to be worn, and its pleasures are often fleeting. Finally, experiences are typically more social, and such sharing with others usually adds to well-being.

Image credit: © Cavan Images/Taxi/Getty Images

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  1. Anonymous says:


  2. topanga says:


  3. Nameless says:

    This isn’t that important of information that everyone needs to know .