Happiness is time for yourself
YES, you can buy happiness — especially if the money saves you time.
People who dole out cash to save time on housekeeping, delivery services and taxis are a little happier than those who do not, research finds.
Researchers surveyed more than 6000 people in four countries and also ran an experiment, giving people $US40 ($A50) for two weeks.
One week, they had to buy something material, such as a shirt. The next week, they paid to save themselves time.
People said they felt happier after saving time.
“Money can buy happiness if you spend it right,” said University of British Columbia psychology professor Elizabeth Dunn, co-author of a study in the latest Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The right way was paying someone else to do the timeconsuming drudge work you did not like, said study lead author Ashley Whillans at the Harvard Business School.
When people do that, they report feeling greater life satisfaction in general and happier that day. But when they bought material objects, it tended not to bring the happiness they expected, Assistant Professor Whillans said.
Earlier research found using money to help others or have good experiences — such as a spa day or travel — also made people happier than buying things.
Income does not matter. Rich or poor, spending money to save time seemed to make people happier, she said. And if anything, the data suggested people with less money gained a bigger happiness boost from time-saving purchases, she said.
The survey was done in the US, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands.