Choosing Experiences over Things

The science of happiness has shown us that experiences elicit more happiness than buying material things. Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than the material goods we choose to surround ourselves with. It's true, you can really admire your material stuff. You can even convince yourself to think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless, they remain separate from you.  In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences. I mean, it makes sense, right? But, much of the "American Dream" is built upon principles of buying material goods. Well, that mindset and perspective has shifted more recently and many people have realized that the American Dream isn't all it's cracked up to be. After all, would people rather hear about your watch, your new pair of shoes, or your new car or the time you took a trip to Costa Rica and basically slid down a dormant volcano after being caught in a torrential downpour (that really happened to me)?