We must control ourselves. Next, we recommend setting up a budget and sticking to it firmly! Ah, chasing happiness. We all want to be happy, but how?
Here are some thoughts that most of us has had at some point…. See a pattern emerging here? We oftentimes place our happiness on some external circumstances. Being obsessed with material things is no different. Check out this article from Time Magazine about the depression and heavy negativity many people experience when they win a massive amount of money in the lottery. Of course, a healthy, balanced person can do great things and enjoy life with their winnings. Typical examples can come in the form of our parents expecting us to attend a certain school, have a specific type of friends and get a particular job.
Elders around us may expect us to maintain a certain socio-economic standing and to impress others through material means. For those of us who grow up poor, we might rather die than live the way we did when we were kids. Some people experience shame, guilt and embarrassment by their lack of means as children and want nothing more than to overcome the plights of their parents, of which come in many forms. Many famous musicians and athletes can be placed in this category — their drive to overcome their circumstances or family image in early years is what drives them to reach success — and show that success through material means too.
Whether our parents intentionally lead us down the path of materialism or indirectly through their own actions, our early years absolutely play a role in our materialism and consumerism. Time to get a little dark. All of our time in this world is limited.
That said, some of us try our hardest to fight this fact. One of the ways we do this is by becoming extremely attached to what we have in this lifetime. This includes an attachment to material things. If we make enough money, reach a certain status or possess all sorts of material things, perhaps we can forget about the finite-ness of life. Perhaps we can bring these things with us in the afterlife! Everyone wants to drive a reliable car rather than one that needs constant repair.
These desires are all normal, so where does the addiction come in? When we begin to adopt the mentality that these material things are the primary thing we should be striving for, that they are the point of living and the ultimate keeper of our happiness, that is when things start to go awry. We begin placing the accumulation of possessions above relationships with other people, perhaps above our family and friends, and this is when it becomes an unhealthy addiction.
It is easy in our culture to get addicted to material things, and even to believe that material things are the key to happiness. Everywhere we go, we are bombarded with advertisements, marketing strategies, and even gimmicks. Everyone wants to take our money. Everyone wants a share of our hard-earned paycheck. The world is designed to convince us to spend all our money on things, and to perpetuate the belief that this is what will make us the happiest. A nice dinner only lasts one night. But if you decide to invest your money in experiences rather than possessions, they can last you a lifetime of memories.
Add in the fact that you can bring loved ones into those experiences with you — a vacation with your family, or a weekend away with your partner — and now you have a shared memory with the most important people in your life that will bond you for years to come — and maybe even spark a new tradition.
If you get in the habit of driving straight to the mall on payday and this becomes the routine you turn to when you need to de-stress and relax, shopping will cease to be an exercise in searching for items you need, and will instead become a habit by which you are regularly spending money on whatever looks good at the moment. There will always be a neighbor with a bigger house, or a coworker with a nicer, newer car.
Buy like you breathe, only more frequently. To some extent, most of us participate in consumer culture and value material possessions, and that's perfectly fine. But in excess, materialism can take a toll on your well-being, relationships and quality of life. Here are six things you should know about the psychology of consumption -- and strategies to find freedom from materialism.
Research suggests that Americans' well-being has, if anything, declined since the s, according to the American Psychological Association , while our consumption has only increased.
The materialistic values that consumer cultures support may be to blame. Those who pursue wealth and material possessions tend to be less satisfied and experience fewer positive emotions each day. On the other hand, research has found that life satisfaction -- surprise, surprise -- is correlated with having less materialistic values. Are you highly ambitious and competitive? It could mean you're also more materialistic.
Australian research from the s found materialist values and a possessions-based definition of success share common characteristics with type-A behaviors, including competitiveness and aggression.
A study published in the Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology reiterated the finding that the desire to accumulate wealth and possessions is related to Type-A qualities. The Beatles wisely noted that money can't buy love, and we'd do well to remember that money can't buy happiness, either. Research has shown that there is no direct correlation between income and happiness.
Once our basic needs are met, wealth makes very little difference to one's overall well-being and happiness. And in fact, extremely wealthy people actually suffer from higher rates of depression. Some data , however, has suggested that there could be a link between higher income and increased life satisfaction. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
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