Buying A Little Happiness

With all the depressing news of late, it's good to know that you can buy some happiness. According to an article titled, "Buying Happiness Is Possible," according to studies, it is possible to buy happiness, but you have to buy life experiences and not material objects. The findings are based on eight separate studies which agree with previous research suggesting that, "People's satisfaction with their life experience purchases-anything from seeing a movie to going on a vacation tends to start out high and go up over time. On the other hand, although they might be initially happy with that shiny new iPhone or the latest in fashion, their satisfaction with these items wanes over time..........The people who thought of a material purchase were significantly more likely to report feeling concerned about the buy and less satisfied with their choice at present than those who had recalled an experiential purchase." I definitely understand that since whenever you buy something, you can later question the purchase. Did I really need that? Did I pay too much? Will it wear well? I frequently ask myself when shopping: "Where am I going to put another pair of shoes?" (But honestly, I buy them anyway!)

I've always valued experience which is why I love to travel, visit new places, go to museums, parks, landmarks and walk around NYC. So I totally agree that money spent on positive life experiences can not only buy happiness but can be stimulating, fun, entertaining and a learning experience as well. As a matter of fact, as I've mentioned before, New York City (or living near the city), is such a stimulating place to live that you don't even have to spend a lot of money to have interesting experiences. You can take a walking tour of any NYC neighborhood or even a small town in a suburb, have a cup of coffee or an ice cream, visit a few shops, a new Church, (I managed to slip some religion in), and have an enjoyable day, just experiencing a new environment. One of my favorite pastimes-people watching-is a great New York phenomena. 

And the Spring is coming.....which is the best in the Northeast.

Next weekend, I will go with my family and members of my extended family to the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. My two young cousins are very excited to visit the museum and I'm excited to spend the day with them. We've done this before, "a family adventure," and it's always a great day. Last year we toured the Empire State Building, I had never been on the observation deck, it was great. So yes, I fully agree, spending money on interesting and enjoyable life experiences, especially with family or friends, is much better than buying material things, which wear over time, lose their luster and have to be cared for. And as my friend and and I always laugh about, we've heard that when you die, no one wants anything you have anyway (except for the jewelry). Young people today like what's modern, for the most part, they are not interested in our collectibles, trinkets or fine china. 

NJA

More on New Year's Resolutions

A new year lies ahead, with more opportunities to fulfill one's dreams, to hope and be more optimistic. Do you want to be happier? You could try journaling, or thinking about or writing down what you are grateful for. That makes people happier. Finding more time for peaceful reflection and prayer always makes me feel better. Or you could move to Costa Rica. According to a column in the New York Times titled, "The Happiest People," by Nicholas Kristof, the happiest people in the world live in Costa Rica. Perhaps its the beautiful beaches or the magnificent rain forests that are there.  Being surrounded by spectacular scenery and unspoiled nature does reduce stress. When I visited Hawaii last Spring, which has beautiful scenery, I wondered what it would be like to live in a place like that, all the time. While there, I met people from the East Coast who made drastic lifestyle changes and moved to Hawaii. More and more people can do that in modern times, because of the internet. I could never make such a drastic change, but I'm always impressed by people who do that. For all the craziness in New York City and its suburbs, it's an amazing place to live. I loved visiting Rockefeller Center, with my family during Advent, to see the Christmas tree. We always stop into St. Patrick's Cathedral to pray and experience the awe-inspiring cathedral.  It's truly a treasure in NYC. 

But getting back to New Year's resolutions, according to Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, professor of psychology at Yale University, "Gradual small steps motivate people toward change...write down the steps you want to take in a notebook to make it concrete and reward yourself for making individual changes... For instance, if you want to be more optimistic then you have to imagine what you would be like if you were optimistic. Imagine yourself going through a day at work if you were optimistic and confident, then write that down in great detail." (From CNN.com-"Ten Ways To Get Motivated for Change in 2010.") 

Also interesting..if you want to read the top ten New Year's resolutions go to-- http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/holidays/tp/resolutions.htm

Hoping you can follow through on your resolutions, if you've made any.  I'm trying to be disciplined and stay focused on mine.

NJA

The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving.  Oliver Wendell Holmes