Retail therapy can buy happiness, scientists say

Brands, boutiques and purveyors of retail therapy will be delighted in the latest finding that buying material possessions can, in fact, buy you happiness.

Buying a new Céline coat or a made-to-measure suit, brings you just as much happiness as, say, a ski trip, scientists say. However, the happiness gained from buying things versus that from experiences is a different type, according to a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

“The decision of whether to buy a material thing or a life experience may therefore boil down to what kind of happiness one desires,” said co-author of the study published in the journal Social Psychology and Personality Science, Aaron Weidman.

Participants in the study were asked to keep a diary following either a purchase or an experiential gift received at Christmas, noting how it made them feel. "Consider a holiday shopper deciding between tickets to a concert or a new couch in the living room," said Weidman.

"The concert will provide an intense thrill for one spectacular night, but then it will end, and will no longer provide momentary happiness, aside from being a happy memory. In contrast, the new couch will never provide a thrilling moment to match the concert, but will keep the owner snug and comfortable each day throughout the winter months.”