The scale you completed was the Experiential Buying Tendency Scale developed by Ryan Howell at San Francisco State University.

The scale measures your overall tendency to purchase material things versus purchasing life experiences. Numerous studies have demonstrated that spending money on life events and activities (such as concert tickets, travel, outdoor activities, etc.) makes people happier than spending money on material items.

In the graph below, your experiential purchasing score is shown in green, compared to the average of all other people in purple who have taken the scale on our website.




Research has shown that people can be divided into three buying styles based on their scores on this scale:

  • 5.5 and above - Experiential Buyers

  • Between 3.51 and 5.49 - Balanced Buyers

  • 3.5 and below - Material Buyers

The tendency to purchase experiences has been linked with specific personality traits. People who are more extraverted and open to new experiences tend to spend their money on experiences, while people who are more prone to experience negative feelings tend to purchase material objects. Does your purchasing style match your personality? Take the Big 5 Personality Scale to find out.

Spending choices are also indicative of what one values in life. Experiential buyers have been shown to place a higher emphasis on the pleasurable aspects of life such as sensation seeking, happiness, and the desire to establish warm relationships with others. You can find out where you score on values such as these by taking the List of Values Scale. To learn more about experiential purchasing, you can read this CNN article.

Do you have ideas on improving this study? Or did you encounter any difficulties in answering the questions? Click here to send a message to the creators of this study.


People who took this scale were also interested in the Experiential Preferences Scale and the Motivations for Experiential Buying Scale.


Learn more about your happiness and spending habits!


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