Found in 2 comments on Hacker News
throw0101a · 2019-11-13
· Original
thread
> To be fair there is no objective value in travelling either.
Except that the literature has shown that people generally find greater happiness using their money to buy experiences rather than things. From a researcher who wrote (the) book on happiness:
> "Shifting from buying stuff to buying experiences, and from spending on yourself to spending on others, can have a dramatic impact on happiness," writes Dunn and her co-author Michael Norton.
* https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/happiness-is-buying-exp...
* http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Money-Science-Happier-Spending/d...
If, per Aristotle, happiness is the supreme good, it would objectively be better to spend your limited resources on things that are more likely to give it to you.
* https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201301/ar...
Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451665075/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_...
There’s a lot of guidance on which “keeping up with the joneses” spending might actually make you happier. It’s also easier to resist some spending when you can recall a concrete reason from the book that you know that purchase was researched and the happiness was short-lived.
If you’re in the United States you should also read this. The title doesn’t hint at it, but similar ideas of maximizing happiness per dollar spent over lifetime, but more US-specific advice:
Money Management Skills by Michael Finke, The Great Courses, narrated by Michael Finke: https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B00Q5DHLBM&source_code=ASSOR...