Buy experiences over material items, research suggests
Posted December 16, 2013 8:22 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Christmas is a time of giving. But what exactly should you give?
A UBC study gave students the choice to spend $20 on either themselves or others; it found those who used it on a gift for someone else felt significantly happier.
Ashley Whillans was involved in the study and says they also found it matters who you give the gift to.
“Some of our research suggests that people get more emotional benefits from spending on close friends or family members, as opposed to people that they’re less close to — people who might be their social acquaintances.”
Whillans tells us their study also suggests we should be buying things like concert tickets in order to get the ultimate emotional benefit.
“The reason why we should be buying experiences is because usually, experiences are enjoyed together, whereas material purchases are often enjoyed by oneself. Experiential purchases are often harder to compare,” she explains.
