Scientists Say That Travelling Makes Us Much Happier Than Any Material Wealth - August 2019

It turns out that as soon as you get used to your new purchase, your level of satisfaction decreases and you feel compelled to go shopping again for the next exciting thing. This vicious cycle repeats itself over and over again.

The problem with this kind of addiction is that you are trying to buy happiness. Unfortunately, money can only make life easier and less stressful, it can’t give you long-term contentment.

Buying Stuff Isn’t Going to Work…

According to a research conducted at Cornell University, there is a way to break that damaging cycle. Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at the university, has revealed that people experience the same amount of happiness when making a purchase they want and when they travel. And here’s the important bit, while the happiness you derive from a purchase reduces over time, the memories of your traveling experience still supply you with happiness hormones for a long time.

But why?

Gilovich explains that adaptation is “one of the enemies of happiness.” You buy things to make you happy, and you succeed for only a short while. Soon, you adapt to the things that used to bring you happiness. 

So, What’s The Secret Sauce to Sustained Happiness?

Experience.

Although making new purchases may give you novelty, it still lacks the key ingredient for maintaining happiness.

As Dr. Gilovich says, your experience is a bigger part of yourself than your material goods. You may actually like your purchases and you may even go to the extent of thinking that a part of you is connected to that stuff; however, they are separate from your identity. On the other hand, your travel experiences are part of who you are.

Your richest and most cherished memories aren’t from the material goods you’ve bought. Rather, they’re a total sum of the life experiences you’ve had.

Happiness Stems From Connections

Traveling brings you to new cultures and places. In such an environment, everything around you feels more enriching. Your brain and body alike lose track of time as you’re so keen on absorbing new information.

That disconnection from the normal surroundings that you’re already adapted to offers an excellent environment for creating happy and lasting memories that are hard to forget or replace.  

Robert Waldinger, head of a 80-year old research at Harvard University knows much about happiness. The results from one study revealed that individuals who most connected to their family, friends, community, and other people were the healthiest and happiest.

In light of that, Waldinger says that you need to deepen your relationships by doing new things together with the people in your life. He goes on to explain that experiences connect you to others in a way that material things can’t. To Waldinger, some of the most important experiences in his life are travel. Traveling, he reveals, brought him closer to his family. 

Other Things You Can Do For Long-Lasting Happiness

Participating in extreme sports, learning new skills, or going to unusual events will bring you joy. A new car or gadget will eventually become ordinary, old, and out-dated. On the other hand, the memories you create will become a real source of happiness that will stay with you your whole life.

So, invest your hard-earned cash in experiences, and you’ll be investing in your long-term happiness and satisfaction.

www.IrelandSacredTours.com

Maria's Bio: Maria is a gifted healer, intuitive and medical intuitive from Ireland. She carries a vast wealth of experience from a life of passionate exploration of the profound healing and ancient Irish intuitive gifts she inherited from her mother and going back to her grandmothers, two great uncles who were well known healers of the sick and even as far back as her great, great, great, grandfather (b. 1837) who was known as the Irish Healer of Animals. Her depth of knowledge and wisdom comes from her deep study and relentless research. Maria offers Celtic Intuitive & Angel Card Reading thru Skype or phone to any were in the world. Maria grew up in Ireland and has travelled to over 16 countries and visited 245 cities. She has lived and travelled to Australia, Canada, North and South America, Europe and many places around the world. Maria has lived in the Okanagan, BC, Canada for years. She now lives part-time also back home in Ireland in the Spring and Autumn. Maria is the founder and publisher of 'OK In Health eMagazine' and Web site since 2014. www.OKinHealth.com is a beam of light in the wellness community. Maria was awarded the 2008 SOWINS, Women Up Front and Centre - Health & Wellness Award for her work on OK In Health eMagazine and the community. Over the years she has also worked as an Event Organizer and brought instructors to the Okanagan from all over the world. Maria was also involved at the grass root level in bringing in Dr Deepak Chopra. Gregg Braden and Dr. Wayne Dyer to the Okanagan valley. Maria has a wealth of experience in travel, as a healer and in events organizing. Maria hosts a weekly Health Column in 5 Okanagan newspapers. In 2013, Maria brought 30 people to Ireland for the 14 day Celtic Angel Ireland Tour and since then brings two tours over to Ireland each year. Maria has published two books on Sacred Ireland and is working on her third book. Maria continues to enjoy studying, travelling, offering sessions, working on OK In Health eMagazine, loving life in the beautiful Okanagan Valley and the Sacred Ireland Tours. - Maria O'Farrell Carr Website - Email