Jessica Weiss, a renowned keynote speaker and executive coach, emphasizes the importance of spending money wisely to enhance happiness and fulfillment in life and work. Weiss has a deep understanding of positive psychology. She combines years of rigorous academic research with her own personal experience working alongside Fortune 500 clients, including Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and American Express. Her upcoming book, “Happiness Works: The Science of Thriving at Work,” explores practical strategies for achieving happiness through small, everyday experiences.
Weiss is absolutely right that money doesn’t buy happiness—at least not directly—but used in the right ways, it can create a whole lot of happy. She calls out eight key categories in which it’s okay to spend money without guilt. These investments can significantly improve their quality of life. The idea behind it is that frequent, modest pleasures usually lead to more happiness than infrequent big treats.
Research supports Weiss’s assertions. Studies indicate that group singing can reduce cortisol levels, often referred to as the stress hormone, and foster a lasting sense of belonging among participants. This trend underscores the social nature of happiness. During synchronous group singing, people release oxytocin and endorphins. This potent combination produces a feeling described as “collective effervescence.” The feeling of togetherness and communal happiness tends to last for days.
Weiss magnifies implications of recent work by Harvard researchers. What they found was that the positive effects of close relationships on happiness outweigh those of genetics, money or celebrity status. These connective threads are essential to each person’s health and long-term happiness. Strong social connections have been shown to improve both quality of life and longevity.
Weiss sheds light on how the brain’s pleasure systems are fueled by many mini doses of happiness. Our members love these intimate bursts more than one big blow-out party. Accumulated happiness Spending on a $4 specialty coffee only twice a week will make you happier in the long run. It’s a lot more fulfilling than doing one big spend. This latter idea is quite similar to the idea of “time abundance.” As Richard Louv points out in Vitamin N, our capacity for small, novel experiences—checking out a new farmer’s market, trying out a different nail color—complexifies, deepens, and beautifies our lives.
Weiss discovered in her own pursuit of happiness that the anticipation of travel can boost happiness, too. Science finds that the mere expectation of a trip can begin providing joy long before you ever take that trip. This shows the importance of focusing on investing in experiences as opposed to things.
Weiss’s understanding of how to best spend our money matches up perfectly with the scientific literature on how we can buy happiness by spending our money more intentionally. It’s not just about how many dollars someone has access to, but how they are using those dollars. The concept of “buying time” really jumped out. When you thoughtfully invest in services or experiences that save you time, you’re more focused and productive, which improves your sanity.
Additionally, Weiss points out that what matters is showing up every day and doing things that spark your values, passions and curiosity. Or, by taking little but purposeful actions each day, all of us can begin to build a greater sense of well-being and fulfillment. Learn what really makes you happy. Be it creative expression, social connection or learning something new, these experiences can inform how you spend your money in ways that improve your happiness.