Happiness for Sale?

If you have the right to choose, what will you buy, expensive Armani's suit or vacation to Bali with your significant others?

Greek' Aristotle said that experiences is much more valuable than possessions. Is it true? to prove it, two psychological expert, Leav Van Boven from University of Colorado and Thomas Gilovich from Cornell University, had researched about connectivity between discretion of money usages for buying stuffs (clothes, jewelry) and for enhancing experiences such as vacation etc.

Thorough phone surveys toward 1279 adult respondents, it was known that buying experiences (57%) made them happier and content than buying vanity items and possessions even after the price have been calculated.

Though the surveys does not include books, cds, and fitness utensils because both items, while technically a vanity things, also offer personal experiences. Both researchers also found that women (surprisingly, come on...) gain more pleasures from experiences than men, while men fully enjoy they travels and experiences only when they do it with family or close friends. They've also concluded that people who have high revenues and highly educated choose experiences than possessions because limited allowance give the tendency to buy possessions based on the mindsets that new stuff will probably increase their quality of life. Highly educated people also known to immune from vanity trends.

However, people still need to know that unlike possessions, experiences becomes more and more valuable overtime. If possessions will become obsolete and could be thrown out anytime, experiences will not. We reinterpreted it and give it new values as we remember or retelling the experiences. No matter how many times you retells it or write it on a book then sells it, it will still be the part of your life. Unlike possessions, which will be another person's property once you sell it to them:). Telling people it was yours won't make you happier, unless Barrack Obama bought it from you.