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What makes you happy?

Experiential purchases, such as a meal out or theater tickets, result in increased well-being because they satisfy the need for social connectedness and vitality, the feeling of being alive. Experiences also lead to satisfaction on a longer term basis. In the words of the study’s author, Ryan Howell, “Purchased experiences provide memory capital. We don’t tend to get bored of happy memories like we do with a material object.” (Buying experiences, not possessions, leads to greater happiness, Ryan Howell, 2009)