“We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter.” – Denis Diderot
Have you ever heard of or read anything by Denis Diderot? I studied him in college in one of the philosophy classes I took. Just a little inside on him first. Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a French philosopher, writer, playwright, novelist and art critic. He was also the editor of the Encyclopédia and questioned the authority of the Catholic Church. If you like the Enlightenment you will enjoy his writings. Diderot was a prominent figure throughout that time. Read all about him here.
I am interested in psychology and philosophy (anything that concerns my body or mind actually) and like to think about the reason why we seek the things we buy or own. Again, society plays a big role in all this; however, there must be some sort of inner motivation that drives us into purchasing more and more. Diderot wrote about this motivation for overconsumption (Diderot Effect) in the 18th Century. In a nutshell: We purchase something and this items makes us buy another one. Another explanation would be let’s say you go to IKEA because you need to purchase a new couch. For some reason we don’t stop right there. We go on and buy a living room table because the old one does not fit to the new couch anymore but the old one is still fine. And then we buy a new lampshade because the old one does not …. you get the point. So the new item (the couch) creates this desire inside of you to purchase more things.
There are a plethora of examples on the Diderot Effect. Just watch your behavior if you go shopping for clothing. You purchase a new pair of pants but need new shoes that go with it. Or a new shirt that makes the look complete. You have a kitchen table but this one is not big enough anymore. Then you purchase six new chairs just because they have to match the new table. I could go on and on. If you really look at it you know you have enough jeans, shirts and shoes no? So why as soon as something new gets introduced in our lives we are somewhat drawn to it and the consumption? Read one of Diderot’s essays which made me inspire writing about him. What is the purpose of our clothing? If I have this talk with my husband he always tells me that his clothes are functional for work which is true. Most often in life the clothing you purchase are not functional in any way. (“Always the wrong pair of shoes!”) In most cases it is all about self-expression and it already starts with children in school. I remember my mom used to make our clothes and they were cool. She sew or knitted things and we did not have any designer clothes whatsover. But guess what? We survived and we had the best childhood ever. Today at the playground I saw a family who dressed both of their children (about 5 and 8 years old) from head to toe in Burberry. To the playground no less. I think there are more important things in life than how your kids are dressed. I am not talking about letting them run around like bums. Enough said!
I think as soon as I understood how the principle works I was able to break this cycle that I was in for many years myself. How can you overcome the Diderot Effect and prevent this cycle of consumerism? Here I share what I have been trying. Maybe you want to try some of it as well. 🙂
The next time you go to a store – any store – simply observe. See what’s going on in there. They play nice music that gets you in a good mood. The rooms are comfortably lit and the personnel is oh so helpful. They even arrange for you to have your own dressing room with your name written on it. All you want is a pair of pants okay! See what happens. Observe! See how they make you buy more stuff (buy 3 get 1 for free, purchase this purse with it and get the shirt 20% off). Just ask yourself if you REALLY need this item that is in your hand when you are in the store. Of course, there are times when you do need to buy certain things. I am not talking about those times.
Always keep in mind that possessions do not define who you are. Your possessions also do not define your success and usually make you happy only for a short while. You go to a store, buy something that you wanted for a long time and then after a while it is just normal, nothing special anymore and you want something else and new. Do not trust salesperson too much. I mean, all they really want is sell you things – as much as possible. They are not your friends. Keep this in mind. Maybe take a friend with you while clothes shopping who tells you the truth how you look in those pants. 🙂 Salesperson: “These pants look great on you. I have the same ones. They fit really well.” – while you look like a stuffed sausage.
Try to notice the Diderot Effect all around you on a daily basis. Realizing it might save you quite some money.
