The research here is consistent: when it comes to happiness, frequency beats intensity.

Small pleasures? They’re the unsung, miniature heroes of joy. Why? We’re less likely to adapt and take for granted all these little things than we are the one, big rare event. Splurging on a string of small delights is like giving your mood a constant, gentle nudge upwards.

We quickly take material goods for granted. Research shows this happens more slowly with experiences. Also, we anticipate and remember experiences more, savoring them for longer and squeezing more enjoyment from them. You share photos and stories from vacations.

Material purchases can make you very happy – if you turn them into experiences. Use that TV as the centerpiece for an awesome Super Bowl party, and you get better returns. If buying that new car means more roadtrips with friends, it might be an excellent happiness investment.

In the dark comedy that is our pursuit of happiness, there’s a twisted little truth: the joy of anticipation often eclipses the actual enjoyment of whatever we’ve spent our hard-earned money on. It’s like our brains are the ultimate bait-and-switch artists, hyping up future pleasures only to shrug nonchalantly when they finally arrive.

Study after study demonstrates this effect and we can extract two clear lessons: extend the anticipation period, and take more mini-vacations vs fewer big vacations. Simply put, structure your life so you’re always looking forward to something.

The farther things are in the future, the more abstractly we view them. But we often do better when we consider how our purchases will affect our future use of time and day-to-day lives.

Know thyself and think concretely about the future results of your purchase.

Study after study shows the best way to predict how much one person will like something is to see how much other people enjoyed it. Hardly shocking, but all too often we think we’re special, and that’s not the safe bet when it comes to happiness.

Usually, the secret to happiness isn’t in some esoteric, hard-to-find experience, but in the shared joy of humanity’s greatest hits.

The spending that really pays emotional dividends fulfills deep emotional needs like competence, relatedness, or autonomy.

Pay money to develop a skill you’re passionate about. Or use that cash to buy a bunch of tacos and share them with your friends in the park. Or spend that money to get your life in order and feel like you’ve got control over your world.

Maybe money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can outsource some misery. Working fewer hours or paying someone to handle errands can free up time for things that really make you happy.

Paying someone to clean your home can be a wiser purchase than a new computer. It’s about embracing the fact that life is short, weekends are shorter, and you don’t want to spend either wrestling with a vacuum cleaner.

It’s the oldest lesson in the book: we want what we can’t have. And when we’re denied something for a while, we appreciate it so much more when we finally have it.

This strategy turns every little joy into a mini celebration. You’re not just living; you’re an event planner for the exclusive party that is your life. Eating your favorite food is no longer just “Tuesday night dinner”; it’s “I Haven’t Had This In Ages And Oh My God I Missed It So Much”.

It’s about finding that sweet spot where you appreciate the things you love by not overindulging in them.

Yes, research confirms the old saw: it’s better to give than to receive. A 2008 study found, “Although personal spending was unrelated to happiness, people who devoted more money to prosocial spending were happier, even after controlling for their income.”

Why? Giving improves relationships and our relationships are the bedrock of happiness.

And then there’s the joy of watching them open that gift. It’s like a real-life unboxing video, minus the monetization. They’re excited and you get to watch with the smug satisfaction of a cat who’s just knocked a vase off a shelf.

So go buy something for someone who is not you. Altruism is the express lane on the happiness highway.