Paying to save time makes people happier than buying things
What they found
People who spent money to buy themselves time - paying someone for chores and errands - reported higher life satisfaction than people who didn't, and the same $40 bought more felt happiness spent on saving time than on a material thing. It held from ordinary earners to millionaires.
How they know
Surveys of over 6,000 people in four countries, plus an experiment where the same people spent $40 on a time-saving purchase one weekend and $40 on a material one another - the time-saving weekend won on felt well-being.
What it means for you
Your hours are the scarcest thing you own. Paying for someone's help is not indulgence - it is often the best-returning purchase available.
The limits
Effects are modest, samples mostly Western, and few people spontaneously think to buy time - the benefit goes to those who actually try it.
This is a short takeaway in our own words, not a reproduction of the study. For the method, the sample and the caveats, read the original. Mind lives inside the Booking Minds app under the brain icon, where you can save and share each piece.