By Leigh Pretnar Cousins, MS
I’m going to try devoting my Sunday blog posts to the topic of Learning Through Experience. This will very often mean Learning From Mistakes, and talking about mistakes and errors in general, including my own.
I must be a really odd person, because every month, as I pay my credit card bills, I don’t, actually, feel too bad.
In fact, I mostly feel pleased and satisfied.
Yes, I’m paying down some credit card debt, which any accountant-type person will say was a mistake to wrack up.
But I tend to spend on experiences, especially travel and education…and, according to research such as this recent article on PsyBlog, experiences carry much more enduring happiness-value than do possessions.
- Experiences take on new meanings as time goes by
- We mentally revisit our experiences and therefore get more enjoyment out of them
- Experiences are unique, so they don’t degrade by comparison to others
- Their uniqueness also means we habituate to them more slowly (and habituation is one of the factors that causes happiness to fade)
- Experiences tend to be social, and social interaction makes us happy
When I send out a payment to VISA or The Student Loan Corporation, I think about the travel and educational experiences my kids and I have had, and I feel so grateful for those. Those memorable trips, those visits over the years to see friends and family… those classes and degrees…they are part of us, and unlike any material possession, they can’t ever be taken away.
(But don’t get me wrong, I’m NOT a fan of those high interest rates…Ugh! I’m not THAT odd!)
[Photo taken in Albuquerque atop Sandia Peak. The tramway ride up the side of the mountain was, at risk of sounding like a MasterCard commercial, priceless.]
Leigh Pretnar Cousins, MS is an educator, counselor, writer and speaker. She's been a tutor, test prep coach and home school teacher for over thirty years. Leigh also teaches communication and relationship skills to couples and families. Leigh's current projects include Understanding the People You Love, a series of "practical psychology" lessons for parents and couples, and
LisSurMer, a retreat on Cape Cod for highly sensitive and creative people. Click
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Last reviewed: 13 Nov 2011
APA Reference
Cousins, L. (2011). Invest In Experiences; They’re More Satisfying. Psych Central.
Retrieved on May 21, 2012, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/always-learning/2011/11/invest-in-experiences-theyre-more-satisfying/
I’m going to try devoting my Sunday blog posts to the topic of Learning Through Experience. This will very often mean Learning From Mistakes, and talking about mistakes and errors in general, including my own. 
