3 Easy Ways You Can Buy Happiness (Backed By Studies)
And they say money can’t buy you happiness…
Your grandma, parents, and teachers have all been lying to you for years.
Don’t blame them, though. They didn’t know!
They told you that money cannot buy you happiness. For the most part, they’re right…
But there are 3 exceptions!
It should be noted that money can also remove things that make you unhappy. This will increase the feeling of happiness.
1. Experiences
There is evidence that supports the idea that buying experiences will increase your happiness.
And no, this does not necessarily include the experience of you buying a designer bag.
But it does mean your travel bug may be warranted.
These experiences are things you can hold close to your heart for the remainder of your life. They are the type of things that influence your life moving forward.
Because of how a stranger treated you in a foreign country, now you treat others more kindly.
Because you saw what the rest of the world looks like, you have a better understanding of life.
If you are optimizing for happiness, spend your money on experiences.
2. Time
If you ask the richest people in the world what they wish they could buy, it is time. You can’t buy time (kind of).
For now, you can’t add years to your life by spending money. I’m sure one day, medical advances will do exactly that, though.
What you can do instead is free up your time.
If you want a happier life, it is a good idea to pay someone to do tasks you don’t want to do. By doing so, you free up time to do the things you love, more importantly, be with the people you love.
This means, if you can, hire someone to:
Mow the lawn
Do your taxes
Clean the house
Shovel the driveway
And whatever other tasks you’d rather not do
Time is your most valuable asset. It is worth it to buy more whenever you can, if you can.
3. Giving
Studies show that you are more likely to be happy when you spend money on others versus yourself.
You don’t need studies to tell you that, though.
Think of Christmas. Are you more excited to open a gift or to see someone open the gift you’ve been planning on buying for months?
It’s the same thing as when you are out for dinner; you feel great when you pick up the bill.
The nice part is that you don’t need to spend money to get this feeling.
You can give by giving time if you don’t have money, or your advice (which might be worth good money).
Regardless, spending money on giving to others actually gives you more than it gives that person.
Some ideas for giving to others:
Charity
Random person on the street
Coffee for the person behind you
Bring your coworkers some snacks
A random thoughtful gift for a friend
Find a random GoFundMe helping someone in need
The interesting part about giving is that studies also showed that you feel happier if you give anonymously. Meaning, don’t do it “for the gram”!
BONUS TIP!
There is a little secret to boost the happiness you receive from buying any of the above 3 things.
You will be happier if you do these things with someone you love. And yes, studies support this, too.
So…
Go on that trip with someone you love
Save time for you and your partner together
Volunteer your time, or donate to charity with a friend
This is the way.
Thanks for reading