Your health: Possessions don't 'buy happiness'

Possessions don't 'buy happiness'

The luster of expensive objects may be temporarily entertaining, but they won't bring us happiness, according to recent findings, says Science World Report. When it comes to satisfaction, experiences are what really count.

Researchers from Cornell University and the University of California, San Francisco, investigated whether the enjoyment we get from the anticipation of a purchase depends on what we're buying.

Here's what they discovered: Those thinking about impending experiential purchases, such as tickets to a performance, have higher levels of happiness than those who anticipate spending money on things.

As it applies to society, the research "suggests that overall well-being can be advanced by providing an infrastructure that affords experiences - such as parks, trails, beaches - as much as it does material consumption," concluded psychology researcher and study author Thomas Gilovich.

Crest to remove microbeads

The use of microbeads in personal care products has recently caused controversy, prompting Crest to eliminate using the beads in it toothpaste, ABC News reports.

A dental hygienist started blogging a few months ago about something strange she noticed in patients' mouths. It turned out to be microbeads - plastic specks made of polyethylene.

Proctor and Gamble, the maker of Crest, says the microbeads are "completely safe" FDA-approved food additives used for color, and they say "years of clinical research show no evidence of particles persisting underneath the gumline or causing harm." However, the company plans to eliminate microbeads from most of its Crest products by March 2015 and completely by March 2016.

Illinois this summer became the first state to ban microbeads. The law bans the manufacture and sale of products containing microplastics by 2018. Microbeads are also used in items such as facial scrubs. However, the ban was passed due to concern about the microplastics getting into waterways, such as Lake Michigan, not health concerns.