This Valentines Day Ditch The Flowers; Create An Experience Instead-- By Steve Amarante

You can’t buy love you say? Perhaps not, but you may be able to “buy” that special someone a little more happiness.  A new psychology study conducted by Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University and SF State graduate Graham Hill suggests that buying life experiences rather than material possessions leads to greater happiness for both the consumer and those around them.

The study reveals that experiential purchases in the form of say a romantic dinner, theater tickets, a night out dancing results in an increased sense of connectedness and liveliness vs. say a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates or an article of clothing.