The Value of Memories: Why We Seek Out Experiences

Creating memories is an integral part of human nature. It fuels our existence, shaping who we are, and how we perceive the world around us. Sometimes it's like we're on a perpetual quest, ceaselessly searching for novel experiences, ready to transform them into fond memories etched onto our mind's canvas. This pursuit often leads us to invest time, energy, and money into creating meaningful experiences, from adventurous travels to simple everyday moments.

Memory is not merely a record of our past; it's a compass that navigates our present and influences our future. From a psychological perspective, the concept of memory and its significance in our lives is deeply embedded in several theories and models of human cognition and behavior.

The Psychology Behind Memory-Making

In the domain of psychology, memory-making is often linked with the concepts of happiness and wellbeing. The Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions by Barbara Fredrickson suggests that positive emotions broaden our awareness and encourage us to pursue new, novel, and rewarding experiences (Fredrickson, 2001). These experiences, in turn, foster learning, creativity, and build personal resources that can be drawn upon in the future. In essence, seeking out these experiences isn't merely about immediate pleasure; it's a way of building our emotional and cognitive resilience.

Moreover, researchers have found that anticipation of a pleasurable experience like a vacation can boost our happiness even before the event happens (Van Boven & Ashworth, 2007). It appears that the very act of planning and envisioning a trip or an enjoyable event can have a positive impact on our psychological wellbeing.

The 'Experience Economy' and Memory-Making

Our desire to create memorable experiences and the pleasure derived from these experiences has led to the emergence of what Pine and Gilmore (1998) refer to as the 'experience economy.' In this economy, what's sold are not mere goods or services, but experiences.

From elaborate vacation packages to immersive cooking classes, these experiences are meticulously designed to satisfy our psychological needs, offering opportunities for personal growth, social connection, and ultimately, the creation of cherished memories. They provide us with stories to tell, a sense of accomplishment, and even transform our perspectives.

Investing in Experiences

It seems like our predisposition to prioritize experiences over material possessions has a sound psychological basis. Research has consistently shown that spending money on experiences rather than physical things yields more lasting happiness (Gilovich, Kumar & Jampol, 2015). Experiences become part of our identity, they connect us with others, and most importantly, they constitute the tapestry of our memories.

Conclusion

As humans, we are, indeed, like video players constantly seeking fond memories to play on our mind canvas. We yearn for experiences that stir our emotions, challenge our perspectives, and enrich our lives. And in the pursuit of such experiences, we are more than willing to invest.

At the end of the day, it is these memories that we hold onto, replaying them in our minds, drawing joy, wisdom, and resilience from them. As psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman puts it, "Memories are all we get to keep from our experience of living, and the only perspective that we can adopt as we think about our lives is therefore that of the remembering self."

References:

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. American psychologist, 56(3), 218.

Van Boven, L., & Ashworth, L. (2007). Looking forward, looking back: Anticipation is more evocative than retrospection. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 136(2), 289.

Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard business review, 76, 97-105.

Gilovich, T., Kumar, A., & Jampol, L. (2015). A wonderful life: experiential consumption and the pursuit of happiness. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 25(1), 152-165.