If I Had A Million Dollars

This morning I read an article about research done by some social psychologists, the conclusion of which was that if you are going to spend money in the pursuit of pleasure, you should try to buy things that come as experiences, eg. Dinner with friends or a vacation, rather than on things like a new car or a diamond ring (aka stuff).

First, people are more willing to remember and reminisce about their experiences. When we look back on the things we've done, we tend to forget the minor annoyances and the boring parts.
It takes on a rosy glow, becoming better in recall than it was in reality. We even laugh over misadventures we found most unpleasant at the time.
In contrast, people quickly adapt to material advances. We find that the new couch is just a place to sit, and eventually your butt gets used to sitting there.

Second, your identity is made from your experiences, you are the sum of the things you have done. If you accumulate a lot of rich experiences, you have had a richer life.
We have the saying you can't take it with you, and this is true, except for your experiences. The things you have done are the things that you get to keep.

Third, you experiences have a greater social value. Other people care more about the stories you have to tell rather than the new pants you are wearing. Imagine going to a person's house, and seeing a lion head mounted on the wall chances are that you would look at it for a few seconds, and then turn your back on it to find out *how* the person came to be in possession of it. The actual head is of little importance.

You Get Out What You Put In

On researcher warns against the snare of pursuing "short cuts to pleasure". Such as? Drugs, chocolate, loveless sex, shopping, television and spectator sport. His point is that they yield only the briefest spurts of good feeling. Chocolate only makes you happy while it is in your mouth. When the chocolate is gone, you aren't any more happy than you were before, and possibly less happy as it makes its way to your hips.

One interesting fact from the research, the average mood while watching a TV sitcom is mild depression. Reading a book, however, is the opposite, most likely because it's more active. You are actually doing something to get the story. You enjoy the act of reading the book.

Your best bet for using a million dollars it so find activities that block consciousness of self and felt emotion, except in retrospect as in "Wow, that was fun!".

-Gary Milner