Happiness Doesn’t Earn Interest

We understand saving money. Put a little away today, enjoy more of it tomorrow. Compound interest is a wonderful thing.

Unfortunately, happiness doesn't work quite the same way.

You don't get bonus happiness points for leaving your good dishes in the cupboard. Nobody is going to hand you an extra week of joy because you spent the last six months putting off things you enjoy.

And yet, we're remarkably good at postponing happiness.

We'll celebrate when we reach the goal. Take the day off when things slow down. Buy the flowers when there's something worth celebrating.

What exactly are we waiting for?

Stop Saving the Good Stuff

Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger once bought a pair of shoes for job interviews. He loved them. In fact, he loved them so much that after his interviews, he stopped wearing them.

He was saving them for the right occasion.

Berger and fellow researcher Jacqueline Rifkin eventually studied this behavior, discovering something they called the specialness spiral.

In six studies published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, they found that when people decide not to use something because they're saving it for a special occasion, the item starts to feel more special. Which means the next occasion needs to be even more special to justify using it.

And so it sits. And sits.

The shoes become too nice for dinner. The candle becomes too expensive for an ordinary evening. The fancy dishes survive another Thanksgiving safely tucked away in the cabinet because somebody might break one.

We're preserving things that were supposed to make us happy.

Light the special candle while you're folding laundry. Wear the new outfit to lunch. Drink your morning coffee from the cup you're afraid someone will chip.

We're not suggesting you abandon your savings goals or suddenly develop an expensive candle habit. But if something you already own would make today a little more enjoyable, what exactly are you waiting for?

You Don't Have to Earn a Good Day

People have a funny habit of making happiness conditional.

I’ll relax once I finish this project. I’ll take a day off when work slows down. We’ll celebrate when we hit our goal. And perhaps the most optimistic sentence ever spoken in an office: "Next week should be quieter."

Researchers have actually studied what happens when we treat enjoyment as something we haven't earned. A Rutgers-led study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that people who view leisure as wasteful enjoy their free time less.

Think about that. We finally get a little free time, and then we spend it feeling guilty that we're not doing something useful.

Of course, there are responsibilities we can't ignore. Bills need to be paid. Deadlines do matter. Sometimes life is genuinely difficult, and happiness isn't something we can summon on command.

You can have a terrible meeting and a wonderful lunch. You can be worried about tomorrow and still laugh with a friend until your stomach hurts tonight.

A little happiness doesn't mean you've stopped taking life seriously. It means you're living it.

Someday Is Getting Pretty Crowded

Someday is a wonderful place. The weather is always perfect. Nobody cancels plans. Your calendar is clear, and you finally have time to learn the piano, visit that little town you've always wanted to see, and spend an entire afternoon reading without feeling guilty.

It's also becoming a rather crowded destination.

We put so many things there.

Someday, we'll take that trip.

Someday, we'll get together with those friends.

Someday, I'll finally use that gift certificate from 2022.

There's nothing wrong with looking forward to something. In fact, research suggests it's good for us. A study published in Psychological Science found that people often feel happier anticipating an experience than waiting for a material purchase.

The vacation can make you happy long before you've even packed your suitcase. But there's a difference between enjoying anticipation and continually postponing your life.

Not every someday requires a plane ticket or a substantial investment. Maybe it's finally inviting your neighbors over, taking a Saturday morning to explore somewhere new, or spending an afternoon doing something you haven't done since you were a kid.

Pick one thing you've been saving for someday. Then give it an actual day on the calendar. It may not be perfect, and it may be canceled. But what if it’s not?

A Little More Happy, Please

A few years ago, we shared Shawn Achor's six daily happiness exercises: simple ways to practice gratitude and find more joy in everyday life.

We still love those exercises. But this time, we're proposing something even simpler.

Enjoy something on purpose. Just because it makes you happy.

Psychologist Fred Bryant has spent decades studying something called savoring, the practice of paying attention to and appreciating positive experiences. His research on savoring explores how people can enjoy good experiences as they're happening, look forward to future ones, and revisit happy memories.

In other words, happiness doesn't always require finding something new. Sometimes it means giving yourself a chance to fully enjoy what's already there.

So turn up the song you love instead of treating it like background noise. Take the long way home because the trees are beautiful. Let yourself be ridiculously excited about an excellent sandwich. And when something wonderful happens, enjoy it without immediately wondering when something will go wrong.

There will always be things to worry about. Work will always be left unfinished, plans will change, and days won't always turn out the way we hoped.

But there will also be people who make us laugh, beautiful little surprises, and experiences worth enjoying while we have the chance.

We don't need to wait until everything is wonderful to enjoy something wonderful.

So use the good stuff. Make the plans. Have a little fun.