But Will It Make You Happy? (Published 2010)

SHE had so much. A two-bedroom apartment. Two cars. Enough wedding china to serve two dozen people. Yet Tammy Strobel wasn’t happy. Working as a project manager with an investment management firm in Davis, Calif., and making about $40,000 a year, she was, as she put it, caught in the “work-spend treadmill.” So one day she stepped off. Inspired by books and blog entries about living simply, Ms. Str

[yuiami]

What to buy to become happy? Spend more to have experiences rather than goods. More anticipation than quick buy. Relationships matter. Small shoppings many times > big shopping one time. Take time when shopping (not buy things online)

[neko_otoko]

This article reminds me of the saying engraved on a stone at the Ryoanji temple in Kyoto, "Be content with what you have". Spending on experiences instead of objects may lead to happiness, but according to the law of "hedonic adaption", we'll be accustomed to any kind of experience someday.