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Hard: Upper intermediate level and above, B2 and above 

Introduction

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1 What's best: a brand new phone or a day out with your friends? Is it better to spend money to buy things or to do things? A study of UK consumers showed that six in ten people would rather spend their money on experiences than material possessions. Those aged 18-34 reported spending the highest amount on fun activities.

2  Possessions can last for many years, while experiences are fleeting. This, however, might be the wrong way to look at things. Psychology professor Thomas Gilovich discovered that the happiness that objects provide can fade quickly. We adapt to having new possessions, so that rather than being something we are excited by, they just become our new normal. Soon we may even want to buy a better version of the things we own. Our feelings around possessions can also be affected by others. We tend to compare what we have with other people. If someone else has something better, we can start to feel envious.

3 A holiday or a day out may have a short duration, but the happiness it provides can last much longer. Waiting for our latest purchases to be delivered is frustrating, but waiting for an exciting event gives us a feeling of anticipation. Experiences are often shared, so we gain pleasure from social connection and time spent with other people. Memories of our experiences become part of our identity. As Gilovich points out, we are the sum of our experiences. Indeed, the very fact that experiences last for a limited time can give them value. A physical good deteriorates over time, while our memories of an experience can give us pleasure year after year.

4 Of course, it's not always that simple. Other studies have suggested that happiness gained from experiences might depend on your personality type, and how many possessions you already have. People with more introverted personality types may get less benefit from social occasions and those with few possessions may get greater benefit from objects. However, for many of us, it could be that when choosing how to spend our disposable income, we'll get far more benefit by spending on something to do, rather than something to have.

Questions 

1. Match the headings to the paragraph.

Paragraph 1 ________
Paragraph 2 ________
Paragraph 3 ________
Paragraph 4 ________

a. Adapting to products
b. Experiences becoming more popular
c. Spending disposable income
d. Not for everyone
e. Anticipation and memories

2. Choose the correct option based on the content of the article.

1. Most UK consumers prefer spending their income on experiences.

a. True
b. False
c. Not given

2. What does 'this' refer to in the following passage? Possessions can last for many years, while experiences are fleeting. This, however, might be the wrong way to look at things.

a. thinking that experiences are better
b. thinking that something that lasts longer is better
c. thinking about experiences

3. According to the text, which of these are true?

a. experiences have to be exciting to be enjoyable.
b. new possessions are expensive.
c. we get bored of new possessions over time.

4. Waiting for a new experience is exciting.

a. True
b. False
c. Not given

5. Whether you can get more pleasure from experiences can depend on ________.

a. where you live
b. your income
c. your job

3.    Use the words from the list to complete the summary of the article.

Buying new 1)________ might not make us happy. They can also 2)________ over time. While experiences may be 3)________, waiting for them often makes us feel 4)________, while the memories we make help form our 5)________.

deteriorate
disposable income
anticipation
fleeting
material possessions
identity
duration

Vocabulary

material possessions
physical objects that someone owns

fleeting
lasting for a very short time

fade
get weaker

envious
feeling that you want what someone else wants

duration
how long something lasts

frustrating
something that annoys you because it stops you doing something

anticipation
excitement at something that could happen in future

deteriorate
get worse in quality

personality type
the characteristics of someone's personality

disposable income
money left over after you have paid for the things you need

Answers

1.    Match the headings to the paragraph.

Paragraph 1 b) Experiences becoming more popular

Paragraph 2 a) Adapting to products

Paragraph 3 e) Anticipation and memories

Paragraph 4 d) Not for everyone

2.    Choose the correct option based on the content of the article.

1. a. True.A study of UK consumers showed that six in ten people would rather spend their money on experiences than material possessions.

2. b. thinking that something that lasts longer is better.The pronoun 'this' refers to the sentence 'Possessions can last for many years, while experiences are fleeting', which implies that possessions are better value.

3. c. we get bored of new possessions over time. Psychology professor Thomas Gilovich discovered that the happiness that objects provide can fade quickly.

4. a. True. Waiting for our latest new products to be delivered is frustrating but waiting for an exciting event gives us a feeling of anticipation.

5. b. your income. Other studies have suggested that happiness gained from experiences might depend on your personality type, and that people with lower incomes may be more likely to get happiness from possessions.

3.    Use the words from the list to complete the summary of the article.

Buying new material possessions might not make us happy. They can also deteriorate over time. While experiences may be fleeting, waiting for them often makes us feel anticipation, while the memories we make help form our identity.

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