Five Secrets To Buying Happiness For The Long Run
We frequently hear, “You can’t buy happiness,” and “The best things in life are free.” Yet, using money wisely makes buying happiness possible. Furthermore, some of these secrets work because only money makes them work.
What To Look For In Buying Happiness
When it comes to buying happiness, these secrets have two sides to their coins. The first is how happy do they make us? The second is how long does the happiness last? In the research backing these secrets, the latter weighed more.
These secrets not only help individuals. They help businesses too. They give direction on other ways to reward and motivate employees.
The key to buying happiness that’s long lasting is spending to enjoy time with those you enjoy.
The Secrets To Buying Happiness
So, here’s what the research shows. Some aren’t new. Some are but will be intuitive:
- Spending on experiences beats things.
- Spending on experiences with people beats with oneself.
- Buying things to help those in need beats buying for oneself.
- Spending on friends and family beats spending on oneself.
- Spending in a way that fits one’s personality is better than not.
Of the five, the real key is spending to enjoy time with those you enjoy. Other research shows that merely talking about time beats talking about money. That’s because when we think of time we usually think of it with others.
Personality Matters When Buying Happiness
How these five secrets play out when buying happiness is a matter of personality. For instance, extroverts will have less concern than introverts for what they’re doing and with whom they’re doing it. For introverts, this will matter more.
More spontaneous people will also have less concern than conscientious types as to what the experiences are. Extroverted and open types will be more cavalier regarding the experiences than more conscientious types. They’ll seek out more pragmatic ones that accomplish some project or goal.
The activity will vary too in the experience. Some will prefer more variation. Others prefer a focus. The rest won’t care. Some will want a lot of interaction. Some won’t, just being in close proximity is enough. Again, the rest won’t care.
Buying Happiness For The Workplace
When buying happiness for the workplace, keep in mind that people like socializing. That can mean allowing employees to spend more time enjoying experiences with others. That can be with their friends and families. It can also be with their coworkers. It can even be helping others.
For instance, imagine allowing a few employees on the team to go out and have lunch on you without you. They bond. The company benefits. You enjoy buying something that helps them.
That’s not pragmatic enough for you? All right, then just think of the few grand it will save you in bonuses.
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