Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences

How should we invest our finite resources to maximize our happiness? One influential stream of literature finds that experiential purchases bring greater happiness than material purchases (e.g., Van Boven and Gilovich 2003). But which experiences lead to greater happiness? Prior work has not yet begun to categorize and compare experiences to see which ones most resonate and increase well-being. While some researchers have suggested a special role for special, once-in-a-lifetime experiences in consumer well-being (Zauberman, Ratner and Kim 2009), others have highlighted the importance of savoring mundane, everyday experiences (DeVoe and House 2012). Hence, the current research investigates this important distinction and attempts to resolves these inconsistencies. While ordinary experiences are common, frequent, and within the realm of everyday life, extraordinary experiences are uncommon, infrequent, and go beyond this realm (Sussman and Alter 2012). Will consumers enjoy greater happiness from a lovely dinner with a close friend at a favorite neighborhood restaurant, or from a once-in-a-lifetime, gastronomically inventive feast at elBulli? Because the very definition of happiness varies over time (Mogilner, Kamvar and Aaker 2011), we predicted that the answer to this question would depend on one’s perspective on time. Indeed, five studies suggest that extraordinary experiences lead to greater happiness among those with an extensive future. Meanwhile, when time is seen as limited, ordinary experiences are increasingly linked to happiness.