Buying Experiences?

According to happiness experts, we

make two kinds of purchases.

We buy things: clothes, cars, and home goods.

We buy experiences: meals, vacations, and movies.

Research shows that experiences are the much better buy — if you're looking to maximize the happiness for your dollars. [1]

Sounds good, doesn't it. But is it really that obvious? What do I buy when I buy a book or note-taking software? A thing or "stuff," or am I buying an experience? Well, first of all, I'd like to think that I am buying something that will afford me an experience, or rather, that it will help me to learn or experience something. I do agree that experiences might be a better bet than mere stuff, but as I just said, I am not at all sure that "stuff" and "experiences" can be that cleanly separated. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I don't think that experiences can really be bought. It must be made by us. It's like love that way ... Call me old-fashioned.

The very claim that that "buying experiences makes us happy" shows how far consumerism has corrupted us—or has it only corrupted the "happiness experts"?

My resolution: I am going to go for the priceless experiences in 2015!


1. Read more: here. But this "wisdom" or "advice" can be found in many other places.