BC Council for Families

Can money buy happiness? The eternal question. Many families focus on providing a wide variety of toys, games, clothes and other consumer objects with the intention of creating a happy, fulfilling life for their family. Results from an interesting new study on satisfaction levels from different kinds of purchases counter these assumptions.

In The Relative Relativity of Material and Experiential Purchases researchers found that people were happier with experiences such as family vacations, rather than material items like electronics or toys, for several reasons. When choosing between one trip or another, it’s harder to make direct comparisons. Whereas, when choosing between objects like clothing, comparisons are easy and a person’s sense of satisfaction is marred by doubt. It seems that this lack of direct comparison between one potential experience and another allows people to feel greater satisfaction.

The study reinforces that time with family members, memorable occasions, and shared experiences are much more satisfying than material wealth. The study was conducted out of Cornell University and is published in the January issue of The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology .