When the burden of too much clutter is lifted from our shoulders, we may feel physically lighter, more energetic and less stressed. This relief can lead to increased work productivity, greater enthusiasm and better relationships.

The question we need to ponder is why do we purchase so much in the first place?  There are a number of explanations for this compulsion. Often we simply want to possess the latest and greatest stuff because we think it’s fun to own!   We live in a consumer culture and we often validate ourselves by what and how much we can accumulate.   Consumerism and materialism are promoted by advertisers in print and on TV and computers in the form of commercials.  According to Annie Leonard who wrote, “The Story of Stuff”, the two main activities Americans engage in are watching TV and shopping.  We are bombarded by advertising and are exposed to approximately 3000 ads per day. We see more ads in a day then people saw in a year 50 years ago.

Couple that with the fact that the average house size has doubled since the 1970’s and it becomes easy to see why we accumulate so much “stuff”.

Sadly in order to maintain our lifestyles of consumption, many people are working 50+ hours per week.  We work until are exhausted and depleted and then we shop to make us feel better! We return home too tired to do much else than watch TV and the cycle begins anew!!

Is this the way we really want to lead our lives?  If so, fine!  If not, then it’s time to rethink our goals and blithely step off that hamster wheel of consumption and examine saner options!!

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Purchasing has a complicated physiology; why do rational people over purchase?  There are several factors at play here.  Mass media is not the only culprit; the availability of credit cards enables people to consume beyond their needs.  According to Los Angeles clinical psychologist and wealth consultant James Gottfurcht, PhD, “They’re conditioning people into building debt at a very young, vulnerable age.”

Other major factors that contribute to overspending according to research by Florida State University social psychologist, Roy Baumeister, PhD is too many demands in stressful situations and dealing with  difficult relationships.

Finally the idea that consumerism leads to happiness has proven to be an illusion; according to a study by Lan Nguyen Chaplin and Deborah Roedder John. “Researchers have found that low self-esteem and materialism are not just a correlation, but also a causal relationship where low self esteem increases materialism, and materialism can also create low self-esteem.”

In conclusion when we find ourselves losing control over our environment we have to ask ourselves why and put ourselves back in charge of our lives by making conscience decisions based on real needs.  As Thoreau so aptly stated “simplify.”

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