Choosing the perfect present for your loved ones is tricky business, and it’s even more difficult to find something you can be sure they’ll love.
This holiday season, spruce things up (and give yourself a break from the typical gift-giving-induced anxiety) by gifting a crowd-pleasing experience.
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1) Experiences Lead to Richer Memories
Perhaps the most obvious reason why experiences make such great gifts is the long-lasting memories they provide (which are substantially greater than material objects).
It’s not just us saying it - there’s a significant body of science backing up the fact that humans form richer, stronger memories tied to adventures and experiences, compared to memories attributed to material objects.
It makes sense too - while a new laptop may serve as the gateway to an influx of intense, more short-term joy, we remember and nostalgically revisit the happy feeling of taking part in an experience long after it takes place.
2) Experiences Are More Personal Than Material Objects
Gifting someone (or receiving) an experience is highly personal and indicates that effort and thought have been put into the gifting process.
Moreover, experiences can cater specifically to an individual (Got an adventure junkie on your hands? Gift them a skydiving session! Does your friend love food? Buy them a Mystery Picnic!), so you can present your loved one with an outing personalized to the tee.
3) Looking Forward To an Experience Makes Up Half the Fun
We feel so much joy with experiences because they’re such a drawn-out process, and the time before an adventure can be nearly as exciting as the experience itself.
Waiting for a material object -such as your new blouse to arrive over online shopping- is more often met with impatience, while awaiting an experience (much like a giddy school child the night before an excursion) elicits pleasant and exciting anticipation.
The period in which we look forward to our experience is a positive and pleasant one, and unlike the more negative feeling of impatience attributed to waiting for a material object, we feel joy from an experience before it has even begun.
4) Experiences Lead to Longer Lasting Happiness
While material things may lead to an intense spike in happiness (because not even we can pretend that being gifted a new shimmering necklace won’t fill you with joy to at least some degree), research indicates that experiences lead to longer-lasting happiness.
This of course makes perfect sense; where our happiness and joy begin long before we even take part in an experience, the memorable aspect of the adventure leads us to reminisce for years to come.
5) It’s Not Just One Experience
When you think about it, going on an experience is really like taking part in a million different little experiences - a singular experience or adventure encompasses so many separate moments of joy.
Consider going on a weekend away for instance; it’s not solely the night’s accommodation that makes up the experience - you’ll need to make your way to your accommodation, may find yourself discovering your new favorite cafe on the way, and may meet new people you otherwise would have never crossed paths with.
6) Experiences Let Us Try New Things
Receiving a new designer handbag -while unquestionably a nice gift to receive- won’t exactly allow you to try new things and transgress from your comfort zone (and trying new things has time and time again been linked to a healthier state of mind).
On the other hand, going on an experience will.
While you may not be able to guarantee that your loved one hasn’t already received a brand new shirt, gifting them an experience ensures that they’ll be trying something completely new and different (even if they’ve been on the same type of experience before, each time will be unique), paving the way for a risk-free gift.
7) Experiences Initiate Human Connection
It’s no surprise (when considering the longevity and memorableness experiences bear) that experiences involve social connectivity with others.
When we take part in experiences, a plethora of interactions and social interchanges occur between ourselves and others -from the cashier at the coffee shop on the way to our accommodation to the couple next to us similarly enjoying a picnic- strengthening the rich tapestry of memories about the experience.
Experiences unquestionably enrich our lives - while that brand new piece of shiny jewelry might spark a burst of joy when received, it remains doubtful whether the material gifts we give will open avenues of adventure, spontaneity, and a rich tapestry of memories in the same way that experiences do.
Ready to find the perfect experience to gift?
