00:00 The hosts of the podcast are discussing the topic of happiness and how it has changed over time.

04:18 The field of positive psychology, which aimed to study and understand happiness, emerged in the early 2000s but has since declined, possibly due to the Great Recession, and studies on happiness have largely stopped after 2009.

08:38 Active engagement in objects or experiences that bring happiness can continue to make us happy for longer periods of time compared to objects that lack active engagement, social interaction, and exercise, which only provide short-term happiness.

12:41 Materialism is linked to personality disorders and is characterized by envy, non-generosity, and possessiveness, but the definition of materialism is subjective and the research on it is not extensive. Self-reported studies have shown that experiences bring more happiness and last longer than material objects, but these studies are subjective and often conducted on a small, homogenous group of people. However, one study did find that spending money on others, even on objects, brings more happiness than spending on oneself.

16:59 Research has shown that people are happier when they spend money on others rather than on themselves, and this holds true for both objects and experiences, as social interaction is a key factor in happiness; however, there is also research that suggests that objects can bring more happiness than experiences, particularly if the experience is negative.

20:46 Experiences are more subject to revision and can be altered over time, which is why they are often reported as making people happier than objects.

24:46 Experiences are more valuable than objects because they can be revised and altered over time, allowing for the generation of memories and experiences, which is the key distinction between materialism and experientialism.

29:00 Experiences can lead to longer lasting happiness compared to objects, as shown by studies on plastic surgery and lottery winners, and depression can have positive effects on materialism and pro-social behavior.

32:57 Food waste is a major issue in grocery stores, with many stores throwing away perfectly good food due to arbitrary sell-by dates and restrictions on donating expired food.