WEBVTT - Could Spending Money on Experiences Save the World?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren bogelbam here want to cultivate a sense of gratitude

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<v Speaker 1>and thankfulness, spend your money on experiences, not material goods,

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<v Speaker 1>say researchers. It isn't necessarily a groundbreaking idea, but a

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<v Speaker 1>newly revealed connection may have implications that stretch far beyond

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<v Speaker 1>individual attitudes. Researchers conducted six experiments to explore the impact

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<v Speaker 1>of material consumption versus experience consumption on feelings of gratitude.

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<v Speaker 1>In one experiment, for instance, they asked participants to selectively

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<v Speaker 1>remember either a significant purchase or a significant experience. Those

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<v Speaker 1>who chose to reflect on an experience were more grateful

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<v Speaker 1>overall as expected. That's an idea borne out in previous research,

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<v Speaker 1>including a study from San Francisco State University that found

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<v Speaker 1>people who bought experiences were happier and more satisfied with

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<v Speaker 1>how they spent their money than those who bought material items.

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<v Speaker 1>And yet other studies show that engaging in new experiences

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<v Speaker 1>not only makes you feel happier, but also leads to

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<v Speaker 1>increased confidence and self esteem and can lead to improved health. However,

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<v Speaker 1>the current research team and at Kumar, a postdoctoral research

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<v Speaker 1>fellow at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business,

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<v Speaker 1>along with researchers Jesse Walker and Thomas Jilovich of Cornell University,

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<v Speaker 1>took the concept one step farther by giving participants the

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<v Speaker 1>power to allocate money to themselves and to someone they

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<v Speaker 1>would never meet. The people who remembered spending money on

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<v Speaker 1>experiences more than they did on things allocated a larger

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<v Speaker 1>portion of the money to others. This altruistic attitude can

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<v Speaker 1>ripple from individuals to entire communities, opening an entirely new

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<v Speaker 1>way to consider the benefits of experiential behavior. Kumar study

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<v Speaker 1>Cultivating Gratitude and Giving through Experiential Consumption was published in

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<v Speaker 1>the journal Emotion and outlined findings that described the role

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<v Speaker 1>of experiences in healthy communities. People become socially connected when

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<v Speaker 1>they reflect on experiences, according to the research, but not

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<v Speaker 1>when they think about possessions, Kumar said in a press

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<v Speaker 1>release announcing the papers publication, if people feel closer to

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<v Speaker 1>other humans, they end up treating others better. The sense

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<v Speaker 1>of community and how to better achieve it could change

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<v Speaker 1>the way policy makers and civic leaders bring people together.

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<v Speaker 1>Public projects such as interactive parks and libraries could make

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<v Speaker 1>people more likely to engage in experiences together and in

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<v Speaker 1>turn treat others with greater care. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by Laurie L. Dov and produced by Tyler Klang. If

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<v Speaker 1>you love our show and want to wear your heart

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<v Speaker 1>on your sleeve, check out our new shop te public

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<v Speaker 1>dot com slash brain Stuff for shirts and other merchandise,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course, for more on this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other healthy topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works

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