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Alan Krueger devoted part of his decorated career as an economist to studying happiness. One time, when he and I were on the phone more than a decade ago talking about this work, I asked if any of the findings had affected the way he lived his own life.

Yes, he replied, and he gave two lovely examples.

Alan died this weekend, at 58, from suicide. News of his death sent shock and sadness through the world of economics — including his fellow economists at Princeton and elsewhere; his former colleagues in the Obama and Clinton administrations; and journalists, like me, whom Alan had informally tutored over the years.

I can’t make any sense of his death. I do know that I’ve followed the advice he gave me about happiness, and I’ve found it both wise and helpful. My small tribute to Alan is to use today’s newsletter to tell you about that advice.

Experiences, not things

“To some economists, investigating happiness probably seemed silly,” Catherine Rampell, the Washington Post columnist, wrote yesterday. “But Alan saw it as a central mission of his discipline. The whole point of economics is to figure out how, in a world of scarce resources, we can make people’s lives better.

The first lesson that Alan gave me comes from a finding that sounds a bit like a letdown: People waste a lot of money on gifts. In particular, surveys show that gift recipients don’t have much use for many objectsthat they receive. They usually appreciate the thought behind the gift, but the actual item isn’t of much value to them. In economic terms, they place a lower value on the gift than it cost.

But experiences are different. When someone receives an experience — say, a nice meal out — they often both appreciate the thought and enjoy the actual gift.

Alan said he had tried to put this finding into practice. Several years before, his dad’s beloved New York Giants had made it to the Super Bowl, and Alan splurged on tickets for the two of them. They had a great time, he said.