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"  ...and neither does psychologist Adrien Bonior, Ph.D, a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, and writer in the Washington D.C. area. &amp;quot;There can definitely be a spike in your mood when you find that perfect score, whether it was something on sale, something that you&amp;#039;ve been searching for for a long time, or if it&amp;#039;s something that fits your body and makes you feel good about the way you look,&amp;quot; says Bonior. &amp;quot;But there is one caveat: The increased happiness you feel post-purchase won&amp;#039;t be as long-lasting as if you would have bought an experience. When we buy objects, we eventually tire of them over time. But if you purchase an experience\u2014as small as a pedicure or as large as a getaway\u2014that satisfaction lasts longer because it&amp;#039;s linked to memories. And with memories, you&amp;#039;re going to hold onto them a lot longer; whereas with objects, like the new shirt you bought, you&amp;#039;ll eventually forget about them.&amp;quot; A staffer here at Cosmo actually just encountered a similar scenario. Assistant editor Angela Ledgerwood was feeling a little low and edgy at work yesterday because she was trying to wean herself off of caffeine. On her lunch break, she thought she would get outside for some fresh air and that&amp;#039;s when she wandered into J. Crew. &amp;quot;I often like to check out their sale section for bargains, and I find their stores to be relaxing because they are so neat and ordered\u2014the very contrast to how I was feeling inside my head,&amp;quot; she told us. &amp;quot;I saw a shirt that I liked, so instead of eating a candy bar for a momentary endorphin spike, I went for the 25 percent off shirt. And while I thought it was crazy to rely on a purchase to make me happy, I definitely did feel better after I bought it because I knew it would make me feel good walking down the street. I even wore it to work today and have been getting a ton of compliments, which has continued to lifted my spirits!&amp;quot; After reading this post, next time anyone (or Angela) needs a boost, we&amp;#039;re pretty sure they&amp;#039;ll be choosing an experience over a peplum top. Do you feel better after making a materialistic purchase, or do you agree with Dr. Bonior regarding experiences? Photo: thinkstock Follow Carly Cardellino on Facebook and Twitter. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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