I normally flip through the newspaper with not much interest for political news or scandals - it is our (RedRibbon Days team) habit to look through the newspaper for new interesting ideas,news on us, and perhaps, if we are lucky enough - we will spot one or two articles of great interest.
On February 15th, The Star under the section of Quick Study(Fit4Life) released an article with the headline "Can't Buy Me Happiness". A catchy topic that soon caught my interest and I read on.
The article started off like this :-
"Money is an emotional issue, especially during economic hard times. Social scientists have always warned that once a person's needs are met, money doesn't buy happiness. .. Ryan Howell, an assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, found that buying experiences - such as vacations, going to the theater or renting a sailboat - give people more happiness than buying material things. The study, of 154 people ages 19 to 50, showed that experience increase happiness because they are often social in nature." - extracted from The Star, QuickStudy
I couldn't agree further with Ryan on this. After all, this is what RedRibbon Days is truly about. We are about experiences, gifting and creating memorable days! The concept of gifting previously has always been about chocolates, hampers, flowers and photo frames.
Gifting is an extension of one - and we should always express some thoughts when giving a gift rather than looking around our house / office for anything which could be re-gift. The experience of receiving a gift that is beautifully wrapped up and delivered to the recipient's door is amazing. What heighten the experience of receiving a gift is when a recipient received an experience in an envelope/box! An experience can be something relaxing and pampering like a day spa, or something more adventurous like Sphereing Rides.
Mr. Howell also went on to say that experiences tend to make people feel more alive. "People report a sense of feeling invigorated or inspired. Experiences may also yield more happiness because people are left with positive memories, a sort of return on their investment.
Many of our RedRibbon Days experiences are uniquely selected and packaged in way that could achieve what Mr. Howell mentioned above. We have a full day pampering treatment for those who needs to feel invigorated and we have creative classes to inspire people.
Mr. Howell also mentioned in his article that it is not material things don't bring any happiness. It's just that they don't bring as much.
Once again, I can't stress enough on how true that is. Yes, material things do bring some sort of happiness to me(and most people), but the satisfaction from the end of receiving a material thing is just not enough good enough. I certainly don't feel inspired from receiving another candle holder and most definately not invigorated from a chocolate hamper.
Monday, February 16, 2009
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2 comments:
I totally agree with you and the article. Money cant buy happiness especially during the credit crunch.
even top retail brands in australia is facing trouble. if you want to read more about it check out http://www.theage.com.au/news/lifeandstyle/fashion/debt-the-latest-fashion-trend/2009/02/14/1234028346268.html
Consumers just cant afford all these luxury anymore. this got me thinking, i dont mind buying nice things for my girlfriend. i mean, i have bought her a lot of expensive branded things like Tiffany's, LV and the list goes on. every time i get that for her, somehow she feels a pressure that she has to get me something equally expensive. another thing about buying tangible gifts is that it's not only expensive and put a dent on my wallet (that's for sure) but the fact that it only makes her happy for a few second. she will be smiling and feels happy only during the time i pay for it at the cashier. it does nothing to improve our relationship.
i am saying this because i can give you an example as opposed to an experience we did together. like most guys (no, i am not talking about the metrosexuals), we dont like shopping. we feel that shopping is indeed a waste of time. i always ask my girlfriend, how many shoes do you need to have? trust me, i havent seen her wearing all her shoes before.
well, back to my example of an experience we did together. i was in malaysia during the holidays early this year, both of us visited an island in malaysia. it was fantastic because we arrived at the resort, had a long lunch. managed to talk to each other. and at night, we had a long dinner and sat near the sea drinking wine. it's so relaxing i feel. (compared to shopping). at least it helps improve the interaction between both of us.
not that we dont speak together on a daily basis. but really, i dont think we have time to really have a chat normally.
in the morning, we will jump up from bed to get ready to go to work. at night when we are back, we will just have dinner and watch the tele. after that it's time to sleep. i am sure many of us experience that as well. not much time. and really, the other precious thing that we have is time. why waste it shopping - buying things that cant really buy happiness that last a long time. (i mentioned earlier that my girl friend is only happy for few seconds - when i pay her stuffs at the cashier and forgets about it after that).
so i totally agree with you.
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