The chart is great but what I really want to know is the happiness / dollar spent OVER one's life. I wonder if a lifetime supply of ice cream could beat the healthy enjoyment but high upfront cost of a pool.
You will have to wait for a veeery long time. But then again the Germans have the concept of "Vorfreude" (the joy of anticipation) which they think is better than the actual pleasure from experiencing something.
What about those material things that only work because they enable the experiential? Or more importantly the other way round. I enjoy designing and building loudspeakers (and other stuff like that). It scores very high on my experiential happiness scale. As soon as they are finished, I own another pair of beautiful things that score high on material happiness. Actually maybe that's the secret to a happy life right there -- I tinker, therefore I am.
I think you are selling jewelry short. For one it's a material thing that can enable experiences, think getting compliments because of a pearl necklace you got 20 years ago during your holiday in China when you were a not rich young professional but still had an eye for the finer things in life (true story). For another, jewelry is a form of investment, often the only type of investment that women had access to as close as 50 years ago, before women were allowed to open a bank account without their (male) guardian approval.
So jewelry is pretty therefore you can derive happiness from looking at it, it can get you compliments for years which is nice for everyone to hear AND it means long term safety. Not many other things I can spend money on that compare to jewelry, to be honest. A nice dinner doesn't even come close. I wonder if the swimming pool would still be top of the list if the results would be displayed by gender.
The chart is great but what I really want to know is the happiness / dollar spent OVER one's life. I wonder if a lifetime supply of ice cream could beat the healthy enjoyment but high upfront cost of a pool.
Really interesting research question.
I'll be keeping an eye out for an answer on your substack in order to maximize my happiness
You will have to wait for a veeery long time. But then again the Germans have the concept of "Vorfreude" (the joy of anticipation) which they think is better than the actual pleasure from experiencing something.
😀Put that on the chart!
Great post!
Now I'm off to get a b'day present for my other half. Based on this article it will be a tandem bicycle and not any of the trinkets they hinted at.
What about those material things that only work because they enable the experiential? Or more importantly the other way round. I enjoy designing and building loudspeakers (and other stuff like that). It scores very high on my experiential happiness scale. As soon as they are finished, I own another pair of beautiful things that score high on material happiness. Actually maybe that's the secret to a happy life right there -- I tinker, therefore I am.
I think that counts as home beautification.
But I will definitely steal the "I tinker, therefore I am" line.
It’s not exactly mine… it’s on a poster my kids gave me that sits in my wood shop.
I think you are selling jewelry short. For one it's a material thing that can enable experiences, think getting compliments because of a pearl necklace you got 20 years ago during your holiday in China when you were a not rich young professional but still had an eye for the finer things in life (true story). For another, jewelry is a form of investment, often the only type of investment that women had access to as close as 50 years ago, before women were allowed to open a bank account without their (male) guardian approval.
So jewelry is pretty therefore you can derive happiness from looking at it, it can get you compliments for years which is nice for everyone to hear AND it means long term safety. Not many other things I can spend money on that compare to jewelry, to be honest. A nice dinner doesn't even come close. I wonder if the swimming pool would still be top of the list if the results would be displayed by gender.