Op-Ed: Researcher Says Spend Money On Events For Joy, Not Shopping

Want the secret to happiness? Don't shop. Okay I know that seems like torture to some of us that believe shopping is the world's best sporting event but there is scientific proof that it may not be the root to all which is good.

Ryan Howell has found that doing something cool, like vacations or going to the movies is more prone to give a person a piece of joy. The assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University's study included 154 people from age 19 to 50. The members of the study showed that experiences increase happiness. Most of these experiences are social in nature leading the researcher to believe that events rather than things makes the joy go rounds. These experiences help make a person feel more alive. Positive memories also give a continued 'investment return.' The study was presented earlier this month at the yearly Society for Personality and Social Psychology meeting. It will be published in the Journal of Positive Psychology later this year. I wonder if it's possible to turn this news into a thumbs up for me and my friends who are shopaholics. After all shopping can be done as a group effort making it an event. Somehow I don't think that will fly.