MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Five takeaways:

1. New research shows that the well-known idea of a “bucket list”–a list of thrilling experiences one wants to have before they die– does not actually track with the immediate priorities of those faced with the end of their lives (such as those with terminal diseases).
2. Research in fact shows that people tend to prefer familiar experiences more when they are reminded that their days are limited. In some cases, they can regret moments of thrill-seeking or short sighted decision making throughout their lives.
3. Even when not facing death, many people just don’t seem to like exiting their comfort zone or breaking their routines. In 2017, a poll by a British soup company found that 77 percent of U.K. workers had consumed the exact same lunch every day for nine months and that one in six people had done so for at least two years.
4. While new and unexpected experiences can be rewarding– they often show a huge spike in dopamine release and more intense sense of pleasure– they do not bring the type of enduring happiness that can arise with familiar comforts, which may bring less adrenaline but hold greater sentimental value or sense of emotional ease.
5. While globe-trotting trips and adrenalized experiences have value, prioritizing the meaningful connections in your life will ensure that you don’t reach the end of your life wishing you had spent more time on them.

From Richard A. Friedman at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

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