To do, to have, or to share? Valuing experiences over material possessions depends on the involvement of others

Bibliographic Data

ID6207079
AuthorsPeter A Caprariello (0000-0002-4466-9561, Stony Brook University), H T Reis (0000-0002-3542-6074, University of Rochester)
Year2013
Volume104
Issue2
Pages199-215
Publication date2013-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/a0030953
PMID23276272
OpenAlexW2126856784
LanguageEN
Citations received50
References cited70

Recent evidence indicates that spending discretionary money with the intention of acquiring life experiences-events that one lives through-makes people happier than spending money with the intention of acquiring material possessions-tangible objects that one obtains and possesses. We propose and show that experiences are more likely to be shared with others, whereas material possessions are more prone to solitary use and that this distinction may account for their differential effects on happiness. In 4 studies, we present evidence demonstrating that the inclusion of others is a key dimension of how people derive happiness from discretionary spending. These studies showed that when the social-solitary and experiential-material dimensions were considered simultaneously, social discretionary spending was favored over solitary discretionary spending, whereas experiences showed no happiness-producing advantage relative to possessions. Furthermore, whereas spending money on socially shared experiences was valued more than spending money on either experiences enacted alone or material possessions, solitary experiences were no more valued than material possessions. Together, these results extend and clarify the basic findings of prior research and add to growing evidence that the social context of experiences is critical for their effects on happiness

Context (archaeology) · Dimension (graph theory) · Experiential learning · Happiness · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology

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