Here’s the problem, as Guevarra and Howell see it: In many studies, participants are asked to think about material items as purchases made “in order to have,” in contrast with experiences—purchases made “in order to do.” This, they say, neglects a category of goods: those made in order to have experiences, such as electronics, musical instruments, and sports and outdoors gear. Do such “experiential goods,” as Guevarra and Howell call them, leave our well-being unimproved, as is the case with most goods, or do they contribute positively to our happiness?

In a series of experiments, Guevarra and Howell find that the latter is the case: experiential goods made people happier, just like the experiences themselves.

This might seem like a pedantic distinction, just a breaking down of two categories of purchases (goods and experiences) into three (pure goods, experiences, and the goods that enable you to have those experiences). But there is more to it: Understanding why some things make people happy and others don’t reveals a little bit about the mechanics of human happiness and how to cultivate it.