James Hamblin Buy Experiences Not Things

In the article, “Buy Experiences, Not Things,” James Hamblin, the author, explicates how experiences provoke more happiness than possessions do; likewise, experimental purchases instigate more satisfaction and excitement due to anticipation, experiences make people happier because they don’t measure their value by comparing them to their peers, and people are more generous/social. Initially, Hamblin notes how people are more overwrought instead of buoyant when waiting for material goods. Experimental purchases cause one’s anticipation to grow, but material purchases induce impatientness; planning for a vacation in the Bahamas is more invigorating than waiting to receive a pair of high heels to wear on a night out- they have something to look forward to and remember. Another point Hamblin

With an experimental good like vacation, that dilemma doesn’t hold” (pg. 3 para. 2). Individuals tend to be more gleeful when they have experiences to make life worthwhile, for their not worries about the people surrounding them. More importantly than the fact it’s better to live in anticipation and the lack of devaluing themselves coming from experimental purchases, Hamblin writes, “When people are waiting to get concert tickets or in line at a new food truck, their moods tend to be much more positive….Social interaction is one of the most important determinants of human happiness, so if people are talking to each other, being nice...in the line, it’s going to be a lot more pleasant experience than if they’re being mean to each other which is what’s (more) likely to happen when people are waiting for material goods” (pg. 5-6). Hamblin distinctly clarifies how individuals live better lives because they’re social skills are advancing due to their excitement of their