Comments on: Stuff won’t make you happy, experiences will

By: Hitting a Home Run | Softball at a Glance

Hitting a Home Run | Softball at a Glance — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:13:52 +0000

[...] New Cornell study: Possessions make you sadder, experiences make you happier.. (unclutterer.com) [...]

By: does your neighbourhood need 10 lawnmowers? « nishant mehrotra

does your neighbourhood need 10 lawnmowers? « nishant mehrotra — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 07:19:44 +0000

[...] store useless crap in your garage when you can rent or borrow from a neighbour?! This relates to studies showing that doing interesting things, experiences lead to happiness more so than buying and owning [...]

By: How to be organized

How to be organized — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:42:55 +0000

[...] The emotional bond I think is the most difficult thing for most people to admit and incite change. But we have to realize that stuff isn’t what makes us happy, actually, stuff is what makes us unhappy. It’s experiences that make us happy. [...]

By: Se7en’s Fabulous Friday Fun #14 – Link-Up » se7en

Se7en’s Fabulous Friday Fun #14 – Link-Up » se7en — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 06:26:16 +0000

[...] Stuff Won’t Make You Happy, Experiences Will from Unclutterer: There is a reason why I would rather go for a walk with my kids than go shopping!!! Shopping means more stuff to maintain and find space for – no thank-you, while stomping makes a memory we can carry in our hearts… I know what makes a whole lot more sense to me!!! [...]

By: bbob

bbob — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:55:56 +0000

for many, the process of acquisition IS the experience!
but now they have this thing still hanging around….

So I wonder, mebbe if one is acquiring something in order to have an experience, THEN one needs to find a different experience that is not stuff-oriented.
This is a different thing than acquiring something because it is truly needed or life enhancing.

By: Proof

Proof — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:23:56 +0000

[...] http://unclutterer.com/2010/04.....nces-will/ This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed. « 04-05-2010 [...]

By: Ruben

Ruben — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:39:31 +0000

I remember recently listening to a 1950′s recording of Fulton Sheen where he said that “the world has a philosophy of having, but what we really need is a philosophy of being.”

By: Ulrich

Ulrich — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:46:08 +0000

Thank you for this great article. From experience – no pun intended – I have to agree. I’m in the middle of drastically uncluttering and I know that stuff isn’t everything in the world.

However, sometimes stuff helps with the experiences. Without the RV (yes, it can be rented), you’re not having that road trip (or a different one). My professional ice cream maker is stuff, but – oh! – the experiences it’s let me have!

By: themusiclivez

themusiclivez — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:19:34 +0000

@Ray – thank you for saying this:

“I got it into my head that every item you own has a shred of responsibility tied to it. It’s the responsibility to make use of it. Otherwise it becomes a bit of a liability (time and energy to store it, work around it, stress from buyer’s remorse, etc.).”

It is so true and exactly how I end up feeling!

By: mydivabydesign

mydivabydesign — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:12:19 +0000

Clearing out the clutter really does make room for new ideas and experiences. you also spend less time moving things from one place to another!

By: Money Can't Buy Happiness, Study Says

Money Can't Buy Happiness, Study Says — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:03:13 +0000

[...] study via Unclutterer. Photo by ippei + [...]

By: lola meyer

lola meyer — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:05:28 +0000

Trent has an excellent post on this subject over at
http://www.thesimpledollar.com
titled Am I Unhappy?

By: Erin Doland

Erin Doland — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:40:13 +0000

@Al — At some point this morning it went from free to $11.95. I don’t know if this is because we pushed so much traffic to the site that they saw a profit opportunity, or if it was always supposed to be $11.95 and there was some bug that let us get it for free temporarily. Many public libraries have accesses to databases that will have the article for free (Aladdin, JSTOR, etc.), so if you don’t want to pay the $12, I’d hit your library.

By: Al

Al — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:25:23 +0000

I clicked your link for the “free” study from the APA. When I try to access the article I get a screen showing you have to purchase the article. How did you get it free?

By: momof3

momof3 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:45:05 +0000

Interesting study–going to read up on it. I am of the “one keepsake per trip per family member” mind set. It’s mostly t-shirts for the hubby and kids. I collect refrig. magnets: small and cheap and remind me/us of the places we have been. (outgrown t shirts are handed down so there goes the memory–but “that’s ok mom, you have the magnet!”)
I have been watching all the TV shows about hoarding with great interest. I do see these mostly mentally unbalanced people holding items more dear than their own family members. Sad, very sad.
Love my family, love the memories we have together, and look forward to many more as the year go by.