“Compared with the days when they bought stuff, most participants reported that their timesaving purchases were accompanied by an increased positive effect, a decreased negative effect and less time stress. And it didn’t matter how exceptional, useful or posh their material purchase was.”
They say money can’t buy happiness, but it turns out that’s not entirely true.
The Washington Post details new research that found people who buy time by paying others to complete household tasks are more satisfied with life.
It appears spending money on material items has no meaningful impact on happiness, but spending money on things that free up our time almost always does.
Another interesting twist: we tend not to spend our money on the things that save us time (and therefore make us happier). For example, when 98 working adults were asked how they would spend $40, only two said they’d use it to buy more time for themselves.