or example, spending money on things, like a new car or big flat screen TV, may give you a happiness bump at first. But it’s only temporary. Because we very quickly get used to even our coolest, most expensive possessions and soon barely notice them. Good memories, on the other hand, tend to give us longer- lasting satisfaction, according to the research. Spending money on things like travel, going out with friends, and generally having interesting experiences is more likely to raise our happiness quotient. Spending money on other people has also been shown to increase happiness. So spending lots of money on yourself may buy some short- term happiness. But spending it in order to be with friends or help others is a better investment when it comes to feeling happy.