Why your Experiences deliver you lasting happiness than possessions

The thrill of purchasing things fades quickly but the joy and memories of experiences, from epic adventures to minute encounters, can last a lifetime. Spend your limited funds on what science says will make you happy.

See six reasons as to why experiences will last us better;

1. Experiences become a part of our identity. We are not our possessions, but we are the accumulation of everything we have seen, the things we have done, and the places we have been. A wise man once said, “Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods, you can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences.”

2. Comparisons matter little. This comparison game never makes us happy. Our experiences are much less likely to be compared. We don’t compare experiences in the same way that we compare things. It’s hard to quantify the relative value of any two experiences, which makes them that much more enjoyable.

3. Anticipation matters. Experiences are enjoyable from the very first moments of planning, all the way through to the memories you cherish forever.

4. Experience is an active enjoyment. Experiences often involve us actively doing something, climbing up a mountain, taking pictures of the scenery around us etc. We are forced to be active, to create the experience for ourselves. We find more joy and happiness in being active participants rather than passive bystanders.

5. Experiences are free. While possessions will cost you money, many experiences are rather free. The best part about most experiences is that they are free. It does not cost a dime to spend time in nature.

6. Experiences are fleeting. The very fact that they last for only a short time is part of what makes us value them so much, and that value tends to increase as time passes.