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“The economies of mass consumption that produced a world of abundance for many in the twentieth century face a different challenge in the twenty-first: to focus not on the indefinite accumulation of goods but instead on a better quality of life for all, with minimal environmental harm.”
WorldWatch Institute
Many of us in North America (and now across the world) are socialized into believing that having “more” brings greater happiness. This may be in the form of eating, exercise, TVs, cars, homes, and so forth. For example, the average American consumes about 150 pounds of sugar per year which is roughly the equivalent to 55 gallons of soft drinks per year (and researchers are asserting that sugar is as addictive as cocaine).
Compared to previous generations, we have more than we ever have had materially, but we are not necessarily happier. The notion that more is better is a message that has been driven into us with the influence of billions of dollars in advertising. It promises that buying is the prescription for what ails us-- and it is a seductive message. Yet it ultimately does not provide what we are looking for. More people are coming to this realization after having consumed as much as they could and paying the price either financially or medically. The Great Recession also contributed to many rethinking how “stuff” is not providing the answer to happiness and wellbeing.
The challenge is to move away from a focus of consumption towards something that is more personally and environmentally sustaining. According to researchers, community, family, friends, hobbies, and any form of activity brings one to a greater sense of wellbeing.
Science also shows that after a certain level of income is achieved in which one has a roof over one’s head, food on the table, and some sense of ongoing income to maintain this safety and security, incremental increases in income do not provide proportionate increases in happiness. Having disposable income however does buy a greater sense of financial security and access to new and varying experiences. Thus, more and more money does not buy happiness.
Karena Gore spoke recently at the Humanist Hub in Cambridge and made a strong appeal to measure success no longer in terms of financial wealth and the accumulation of traditional markers of success, but rather to consider success in terms of having access to clean water, air, a good education, and the time to be with family and friends. Our assumptions about success must shift.
My father always said, “Have what you need and need what you have.” I have thought a lot about the time I put into maintaining, upgrading, replacing, and coveting belongings. It takes too much life energy that could be dedicated to more optimal experiences.
