Neural pathways are influenced by environment and habit, meaning they’re also sensitive to change - new sounds, smells, language, tastes, sensations, and sights spark different synapses in the brain and revitalize the mind.

Novelty is so important to well-being that researchers have identified the desire to have novel experiences as a predictor of longevity. People who actively seek out new experiences throughout life live healthier, longer and more active lives.

Openness (also known as neophilia) to a wide variety of life experiences, from visiting new places, to having interesting hobbies, to considering unusual political views, has been proven to bring happiness and is a major factor in our mental health.

We judge time intervals to be longer when our memories for a certain period are denser, so periods with fewer memories seem to pass quicker. To slow down the perception of time - have more novel experiences.

Our sense of belonging and deep connection with others isn’t just based on sharing vulnerabilities or feelings. Sharing lived experiences, like learning Spanish together, going to a concert, or running a race with someone has been proven to accelerate an acquaintance to a friendship.

Research concluded that people are happier and more satisfied with experiential purchases over material ones irrespective of when you measure happiness: before, during or after consumption.

Our worldview is our theory of the world, a framework of beliefs, values, and attitudes which affects everything we perceive, think, feel, and do. We begin developing our worldview as children, but we’re restricted by the boundaries of what we can see, experience, and learn from. As we age, it's proven that we need to seek new experiences to expand our worldview.

When you try something new, even if you fail you feel a sense of pride for having tried. This can do wonders for your courage and confidence and the more 'normalised' failing at something new becomes, the less fear you'll feel the next time you try something new. If you succeed, you'll experience confidence and prove your limiting thoughts wrong.

Studies have found that experiences tend to be more closely associated with the self than possessions. For example, when telling our life stories, we’re far more likely to mention our experiences than the size of our house or model of our car. Research shows that by knowing about a person’s experiences we yield greater insight into their true identity.

Experiences have forever value - once you invest in them, you never lose them. Just because you haven’t thought about that time you hiked Zion in a while doesn’t mean you never went. Money, things, relationships, etc. can come and go, but it's been proven that the memory of an experience only gains sentiment as we get older.

In our study, 1/3 of the respondents said a negative experience was the most valuable experience of their lifetime. Experiences have the ability to transform your life by teaching you how to be humble, grateful, resilient and compassionate - or just turn into a really funny story afterward.

The #1 regret of the dying - 76% according to a major study - is about experiences they wished they’d had - but didn’t. When we asked thousands of people 65+ why they didn’t do the things they wanted to do, the top answer wasn’t time or money - it was “I just never got around to planning it”. This is avoidable by experiencing what you want now, giving you insurance for the future.