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The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos Podcast
Why More Stuff Doesn’t Make You Happier

Why More Stuff Doesn’t Make You Happier

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos vor 4 Monaten

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26:16

Buying something new can trigger a rush of dopamine, leading to a
momentary boost in happiness. But the rush is fleeting, and over
time, our possessions can end up weighing us down more than they
lift us up.

As part of our series on spring cleaning your wellbeing, Dr.
Laurie explores why material things so often fail to make us
happier, and why experiences are usually a better investment in
our long-term wellbeing. Along the way, she talks with
psychologist Bruce Hood, researcher Amit Kumar, and writer Cait
Flanders, who reflects on the psychological benefits of shifting
from a maximalist lifestyle to a minimalist one.

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s actually worth the time and
effort to clean out your closet, this episode offers some
answers.

Experts Mentioned:

Bruce Hood, professor of developmental psychology in society
at the University of Bristol

Amit Kumar, assistant professor of marketing and psychology
at the University of Texas at Austin

Cait Flanders, author of The Year of Less and Adventures in
Opting Out

Richard Easterlin, economist and professor at the University
of Southern California, originator of the Easterlin Paradox

Resources Mentioned:

Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need, by Bruce Hood
(2019)

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My
Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You
Can Buy in a Store, by Cait Flanders (2018)

“Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical
Evidence” by Richard A. Easterlin (Nations and Households in
Economic Growth, 1974)

Related Episodes:

"The Unhappy Millionaire"

"Why Giving Money to Others Makes Us Happier"

"You Can't Always Want What You Like"

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