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Gym I’ve been thinking about the relationship between money and happiness, and I was struck by a phenomenon I’ll call the “expensive-gym-membership effect.” The expensive-gym-membership effect is when you pay money for something in order to force yourself to make time for a priority.

You know you should go to the gym, so you pay a lot to join, with the thought, “Gosh, this costs so much, I’ll have to go to the gym!” Guess what. You won’t. The expensive-gym-membership effect is how gyms stay in business. They can’t afford to have a treadmill for every member, but they know a lot of people will never show up.

When you find yourself paying for something but not using it, ask yourself, “Why?” Usually, you’re buying something to try to nudge yourself toward a goal to which you’re not wholly committed. For example, my husband kept bringing home books about energy policy, then not reading them. “You know,” I told him, “I don’t think you’re actually interested in reading about energy policy. Maybe you think you ought to be, but you’re not.”

But the expensive-gym-membership effect doesn’t apply only to situations where you’re trying to get yourself to do something that you don’t really want to do. Sometimes you’re trying to push yourself to make time for fun. Maybe you buy a new tennis racket, because you want to play more tennis. You buy lovely bath oils, because you want to start taking a nightly relaxing bath.

But just spending money isn’t enough; you have to decide to make an activity a priority. Probably the reason you’re not taking long baths isn’t because you don’t have the right bath oil, but because you have three kids and no time. You buy the bath oil as an expression of your desire to change something in your life – but that purchase won’t do it.

I think the mistake comes when people try to make the purchase as a way of giving themselves the momentum they need – but purchases rarely do that. If you want to play more tennis, concentrate on finding the time on your calendar, not on finding the right racquet at the sporting goods store.

Have you ever found yourself paying for something, as a way to try to push yourself to take some kind of action?

The days are long, but the years are short.

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This is so true! When I had a paid gym membership, I thought I would go all the time-wrong! I never went. I also used to buy myself new workout clothes thinking that would get me to the gym. It worked for about the first week then I was looking for other excuses as to why I didn't have to go. I think we get it in our heads that if we spend money it, that must mean we are serious about it so surely it will move us to action.

Posted by: Katie| July 17, 2008 at 10:31 AM

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