Can't Buy Happiness

Research website BeyondThePurchase.org finds that inexpensive purchases create happiness by allowing people to focus on relationships, rather than money. Read More

Even though materialists, by definition, consume fewer life experiences than experiential consumers, they do spend money on life experiences and, presumably, differ in their preferences for particular life experiences. So, what life experiences appeal particularly to materialists? Researchers at BeyondThePurchase.Org are beginning to discover the answer. Read More

One of Volkswagen’s promotional billboards for the latest version of their popular Beetle proclaimed, “It’s a boy!” in reference to the new styling of their 2012 model. Their promotion suggests that prior models were not as boyish as the 2012 model. Why would Volkswagen think that? Read More

In psychology there is a debate about if you should spend small amounts of discretionary income everyday or save up for a big-ticket purchase. Which spending pattern do you think will make people happier? Read More

if a materialistic lifestyle has been universally condemned by psychologists, and there are numerous examples of the negative consequences of the consumption treadmill, then why do we continue to pursue materialistic goals rather than goals that are more beneficial for our well-being? Fortunately, social scientists are trying to answer the same question. Read More

The endowment effect is one of the most robust findings in behavioral economics; however many researchers believe it is a special case of loss aversion (i.e., we’ll take risks to prevent a loss, but not to realize a gain). So, isn’t the endowment effect the same thing as loss aversion? A series of clever experiments demonstrated that there is a difference. Read More

Data collected at BeyondThePurchase.org suggests that materialism is associated with paying more attention to the opinions and spending behaviors of other people, which may lead to unhappiness. Read More

Most people don't seem surprised that spending money on life experiences makes them happier, and yet, a lot of people try to buy happiness with material items — why? Read More

Think of a time when you agreed to a deal even though it seemed too good to be true—when you were scammed by someone. How much did you blame yourself for reaching into your wallet or signing on the dotted line? Read More

If you ask adults about the last time they bought something with the intention of making themselves happier, you'll find that older people are more likely to report being happy with what they bought. There are two competing explanations for this. Read More

Imagine you are participating in a few studies. The experimenter tells you that you are going to record a short video, which is going to be shown to another participant. After your video is viewed by the other participant, they decide not to participate. Next, you are asked to review a number of consumer items the bookstore is considering stocking. So, what do you buy? Read More

If someone cries, you experience more or less sadness and/or urge to help. Any preschool teacher will confirm times when one crying kid has led to all the kids being in tears. Why is this? Is there some kind of benefit underlying the emotional contagion between human beings? Read More

Examining the link between income and reports of well-being is one way to look at the relationship between money and happiness. However, there are other questions we can ask: Can money actually prevent us from being happy? Can wealth undermine our ability to savor everyday joys? Read More

When men are primed (reminded of, made to think) with the thought of mating opportunities—sex—and then asked to make choices like the ones above, loss aversion is wiped out and even reversed. In other words, when men are thinking about opportunities to mate, risks become much more attractive. Read More