Evaluation of James Hamblin’s Article Buy Experiences, Not Things

James Hamblin is The Atlantic magazine’s writer and senior editor. He also has a video series called If Our Bodies Could Talk and an upcoming book with the same title. Hamblin is not only a Yale University graduate in journalism, but also attended several other schools such as the Harvard Medical School. Having specialized in health care, he manages the monthly health column of the magazine. In his following article, which was published in 2014, he discusses the value of experiences over material possessions.

The title of the article immediately caught my attention making me rather enthusiastic to read Hamblin’s thoughts and research. My first impression was that the writer knows what he is talking about and convinced me of his point of view, though a few doubts had developed towards the end. Hamblin worked with several psychologists and researchers which made his work quite credible.

Right at the beginning he states by relying on experts that 47% of the time our minds wander. This refers to unhappiness in most cases, but can also mean reminiscing or anticipation of great experiences. I find this very true, since sometimes it is hard to concentrate and my mind does not always wander to pleasant places. According to Hamblin and several psychologists, it is worth spending money on experiences rather than objects, since it provides lasting happiness. Waiting for a future experience rather means anticipation and imagining possible pleasant scenarios. On the other hand, waiting for an object more likely holds impatience. He then says that it is less likely for people to compare the value of their experiences to those of others. With this I have to disagree, since I myself have friends who travel a lot and can get to places I cannot. I do not envy that from them, I just sometimes get anxious and compare my opportunities to theirs’ and wish that I could have those experiences. I believe comparing experiences instead of possessions tend to make people bitter, wishing to experience them too.

Furthermore, I do find his claim true that experiences tend to make people a lot content. Of an experience, you can talk, reminisce and laugh about even years later. Of a purchased possession you will not say a great story or long for years after. He compares people waiting in lines, for instance at a concert with people waiting in clothing stores. Those at the concert were in a better mood, since they even have the possibility to interact with other participants, than those waiting for a consumer transaction. Also, let’s consider the Black Friday insanity when people tear each other apart to obtain objects before other costumers. This idea is very relevant, since I am usually impatient at stores and cheerful at concerts. However, I do not agree of a bad experience becoming a great memory. Sometimes there are cases when you can laugh about miserable situations, but most of the time it stays bitter and makes me feel uneasy even after a long period of time.

All in all, I believe it was a great piece of article, with a few flaws. He could have listed more arguments. Though, what I particularly appreciated is that he claimed everyone can develop their own balance of experiential and material consumption. By this he admitted that everyone is different and every individual has their own kind of value system. Some appreciate objects and some value experiences more.

Works cited

Hamblin, James. “Buy Experiences, Not Things” The Atlantic, 7 October, 2014, http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/buy-experiences/381132/ Accessed 4 Dec., 2016.