Shopping has always been a favorite past time of many women. These days however it also became a favorite past time for men. However, during the holidays, the urge to shop is much higher than normal ordinary days. When asked why they shop, many people would say its gives them happiness. The question of whether why people shop and what they spend their money on depends what kind of happiness they have. According to Indian Times, the decision to buy a material thing or have a life experience depends on what kind of happiness a person desires.
A study says that when people buy material things such as sweater or gadgets provide more frequent happiness over time. Life experiences like trips give a stronger happiness on individual occasions. Aaron Weidman, one of the researchers from University of British Columbia in Canada said, "The decision of whether to buy a material thing or a life experience may therefore boil down to what kind of happiness one desires."
People tried to record their thoughts a few weeks after the purchase, and a month after the purchases, the researchers showed that material the two kinds of purchases may also bring two different kinds of happiness, each with a distinct flavor. The team studied in real time the momentary happiness that people get from the material and experiential purchases for 5 times a day over a period of two weeks.
When people buy material things like say speakers, or sweaters, it brings them a repeated dose of happiness over time. In the weeks after they bought these things, they are also enjoying the perks of having those in their possession. In experiential purchases however, offer a more intense but fleeting dose of happiness which stays in their minds for a long time. When they look back on what they purchased 6 weeks after Christmas, they felt more satisfaction about experiential purchases.
