The People Principle

Want happiness? Pick people over possessions.

Experiences with other people will make you happier than “interfaces” with material possessions — even new ones. You already knew that, but now there’s an academic study to prove it. Research author Ryan Howell, a psychology professor in California, told CNN that a sense of growing closer to friends and family may explain why his study showed experiences generating more happiness than things. “As nice as your new computer is,” he said, “it’s not going to make you feel alive.”