Inspiration - shopping does not buy you happiness, but a concert may

Shopping does not buy you happiness, but a concert may
the straits times
monday, may 30 2011
pg A24, review
link to the article


As mentioned in the article, "However, contrary to expectations, research has rebuffed this proposition by demonstrating that neither the ability to acquire nor the actual acquisition of material goods leads to sustainable increase in happiness.
Instead, it has found that this relationship is negative-increases in material possessions may well be accompanied by a decrease in happiness. This phenomenon, termed the "hedonic treadmill", says that as possessions increase, so do people's expectations. Over time, people become less sensitised towards their possessions and require even more new possessions just to sustain the same level of happiness as before. Essentially, their efforts at increasing happiness via material acquisitions are in vain."
As seen from the article, the more one has and one wants, the harder one is happy. i guess this explains why people in less developed countries are happier than people in more well-developed countries. And those who are poor tend to be happier than those who are rich.


so happiness is not so much on how much you have but if you are contented with what you have!