With Mental Health Awareness Week coming up on May 10th -16th. We wanted to highlight the key reasons why virtual experiences are great for driving wellness and awareness at your company. This is particularly important for hybrid and remote teams that often aren’t able to meet up as much in-person.
We’ve got a huge range of virtual activities, masterclasses and workshops that are ideal for improving the well-being of your staff. From fitness classes to creative workshops, that help relieve stress and improve mood.
There are so many benefits for staff well-being so we’ve listed the top 5 reasons.
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EXPERIENCES MAKE PEOPLE HAPPIER & CREATE LASTING, POSITIVE MEMORIES
The happiness spike for material items is short-lived, whereas experiences produce joy during the anticipation of the experience, the experience itself, and then from the memories created. These memories drive conversation and storytelling for years to come.
People who share positive experiences with others feel happier, claim their life is more meaningful, and report greater life satisfaction.
By booking one of our virtual experiences, such as a team social, your employees will feel happier, create memories with their colleagues and it will also help in building high team morale.
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EXPERIENCES HELP BUILD POSITIVE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Social interaction is so important for human happiness and virtual events help us build these positive social relationships.
Experiences bring us together with other people as they often lead to stories and conversations, helping us to relive the memories and bond with others.
We have many team building and team celebration experiences, that are guaranteed to help bring your team together.
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EXPERIENCES KEEP MINDS IN THE MOMENT
People are less happy when their minds are wandering.
Psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert of Harvard University, described in the journal Science:
“A human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost.”*
Being in the moment is far easier when you are focused on an engaging activity.
By taking part in a virtual experience such as an escape room or an online painting class, your mind is less likely to wander as you are focusing on the present which in turn will reduce anxiety and stress.
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EXPERIENCES BUILD HAPPINESS THROUGH ANTICIPATION
The anticipation of an experience is much more exciting than waiting for a product to arrive – it’s perceived to have value in itself. Looking forward to a big football match or a meal at a fancy restaurant builds people’s sense of excitement.
If your company has planned a virtual event, it will give your team something to get excited about and increase their overall wellbeing.
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SHARING EXPERIENCES WITH OTHERS INTENSIFIES THEM
Shared experiences are more intense than unshared. In a study where people were provided with chocolate, participants liked the chocolate significantly more when they believed they were sharing the chocolate experience with another person.
Sharing a virtual experience with your colleagues brings you closer together as a team, helping you perform better at work.
Bibliography
* A wandering mind is an unhappy mind, Killingsworth & Gilbert
The Telegraph, The psychological benefits of shared experiences (2018)
The Atlantic, Buy experiences not things (2014)
Psychological Science, The power of two: why sharing is better (2014)
Why You Should Buy Experiences and Time, Not Things, Andrew Merle (Medium)
BigThink, Want happiness buy experiences not things?
Huffington Post, Millennials Only Want Experiences That Can Be Shared on Social Media
A wonderful life: experiential consumption and the pursuit of happiness Thomas Gilovich, Amit Kumar, Lily Jampol
We’ll Always Have Paris: The Hedonic Payoff from Experiential and Material Investments (2014)
Waiting for Merlot: Anticipatory Consumption of Experiential and Material Purchases
