Ways Your Money Habits Make You Sick: Blowing Your Bonus on an HDTV

Several studies have shown that people who buy material goods, such as big-screen TVs and designer handbags, experience less happiness than people who spend their money on experiences like whitewater rafting tours and theater tickets. There’s a catch, though: New research published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that a negative experience — poor service or long travel delays during a vacation, for example — may lead to lasting unhappiness about an experience.

Solution: Spend on experiences instead of things. But be sure to do your research — reading reviews or asking for recommendations — before spending big bucks.

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