Reasons for giving an experience as a gift

These days it’s all about the experience. When you’re stuck for a gift for a loved one or struggling to buy for that hard-to-please best mate, save yourself the headache and buy an experience rather than an object. It’s not just about making life easier for you, but an experience gift can really make the recipient happy and satisfied. Unconvinced? Here are some reasons why giving experience is the best thing to do:

People get more excited about the future

If you have an event or activity lined up in the near future, the anticipation and looking forward is half the fun. Similar to the feeling of excitement before a holiday, the anticipation involved in a pleasant experience increases happiness levels even before the event has occurred. When a scientific study asked people, what makes them more eager, waiting for the experience or a material reward, the level of excitement for the experience far exceeded those of the feelings evoked for owning an object. With this is mind, why not consider a Tank Driving Experience at a site like https://www.armourgeddon.co.uk/tank-driving-experience.html

Social connections

Experiences are often done with more than one person or in a group, so there is the opportunity to forge social relationships. Not only is creating memories great, but you also share time with others which adds significantly to our satisfaction levels. This adds great value to activities, creating bonds with other people in what scientists call ‘social connectedness’.

Image credit

Added value

Other studies have been conducted to measure how people feel after receiving material gifts and how they felt after being given experience. What unfolds is that people think they will be happier with material ownership and this will be better value for money. However, the results showed the opposite and we are actually happier with the experience. It all comes down to how we think about the value of money and the association with material goods.

See also  5 Essentials Every New Parent Will Need in the First Year of the Baby’s Life

We quickly tire of objects

One of the main reasons why people choose to give physical objects as gifts is that we believe they will last longer. Of course, a sweater or pair of socks will last longer than an experience that will be over in a day. However, we assume that equals longer-lasting happiness, but this just isn’t the case.

People get stuck on a hedonistic treadmill, constantly looking for new pleasures as they get bored with the new things in their environment. Something we adore for a few weeks will soon lose the joy of physical ownership even if it lasts for a decade.

Image credit

An experience, however, provides us with memories that last a lifetime. The memories of the event will last even if the experience is fleeting. Carefully selected and personal experiences can increase self-esteem, arouse new interests, make new friendships and even change someone’s life in a way that a sweater or pair of socks could never achieve.