Stats for nerds
1recommend
2mentions
2people
2013–2022years
50% recommend50% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- I just think you should spend money in a way that maximizes your own happiness.
Studies indicate that spending money on others is one of the best ways to increase your own happiness. I don't have references handy, but check out the book "Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending." That is loaded with references to studies that support that claim.
- There's a whole (relatively new) empirical study of happiness, called Positive Psychology, that's been ongoing for decades.
The claim I made is broad, so it's not based on one experiment, but on numerous factors that point in the same direction. We are social creatures, and feeling like we are a part of a greater whole makes people happier. In the recent book Happy Money, the authors, two Ph.D. researchers in the area, describe experiments that indicate that spending money on others promotes happiness. Of the three components of Self-Determination Theory, one is "Relatedness", feeling connected with and caring others (contributing to a bigger whole). I'm happy to share more.
