It is not uncommon for one person to own multiple electronic devices even though it is likely they could be replaced by just one. In addition, if you take something like a mobile phone, companies usually release a new version every year. Most people don’t even think twice about getting the newer version with all its updated gimmicks. In all honesty, though, it is not just electronic devices. The same could be said for candy bars, cereals, clothes – just about anything really.
We, as a society, are addicted to consumption. There is always something new that catches our attention and why should we ignore it? In reality, this want to have more things actually is the root of most of our problems. We work to make enough money to feed this want and often lose sight of important things in life.
In this book summary readers will discover:
- Consumption and unhappiness
- Overconsumption and the effect it has on the environment
- How affluenza has affected society
- Advertisements are designed to fuel overconsumption
- How to be happier and decrease your consumption
Key lesson one: Consumption and unhappiness
How much do you think Americans spend on consumer goods? Shockingly, Americans spend 71 per cent of their $15 trillion economy on consumer goods. Most of this number can be attributed to technological advances. To put it simply, the Industrial Revolution allowed humans to increase productivity at lower costs.
In the beginning, this increased productivity was predicted to decrease working weeks allowing everyone to have more free time. However, this did not happen. In fact, the opposite has become a reality with people working longer hours thanks to their laptops and mobile phones. To make matters worse, this productivity has also led to the world being addicted to consumption. This addiction has been named affluenza.
Affluenza consumes our free time. If we are not working, we are usually buying or consuming something. This takes away from the things that actually bring us happiness decreasing the time we spend on ourselves and our loved ones. Notice how many people are unhappy no matter how much they try to obtain joy from material things? That’s affluenza at work. People buy things to fill the void they feel from the lack of connection to others. Even worse than that, they sometimes even try to buy their social lives.
This is not surprising since people have been spending more and more time cocooning. Cocooning refers to staying at home instead of going out to socialize and to be honest, who can blame them. They spend their hours working tirelessly to provide for their families, any free time is likely spent vegetating on the couch, watching television as an attempt to refuel them. However, this usually does not and ends up taking away precious time that people could be spending with loved ones or in their community.
Affluenza has produced a vicious cycle. We consume more things in an attempt to fill the void produced by the desire to have more.
Key lesson two: Overconsumption and the effect it has on the environment
Affluenza has not only had an effect on our social lives but it has also drastically impacted our environment over time. Humans have practically mined most of the planet’s accessible resources. This has now led to us turning to extreme mining procedures that are much dangerous. We keep digging deeper to keep up with our needs and deeper mines are usually more unstable. Even more disturbing than depth, is the areas that are now mined. Remember Deepwater Horizon? Man’s desire for oil led to a mine in the middle of the ocean that accidentally exploded. The explosion caused the release of almost 4.9 million gallons of oil over 87 days and the impact on the surrounding wildlife was devastating.
But besides mining processes, direct overconsumption by people also has an impact on our environment. An average family is responsible for the annual movement, processing, and disposal of four million pounds of material. This is a huge amount that is hard to fathom but it is due to this overconsumption that we are looking at a bleak future if changes are not made. Increased pollution and rising ocean temperatures are a result of our overconsumption as humans. The impact of affluenza is not limited to people, our planet feels its effect as well.
Key lesson three: How affluenza has affected society
The effects of affluenza are widespread but the worst problems are experienced by the poor. With the demand for products so high, there is also a need for things to be cheaper. This has made companies look to developing countries for cheap labour. We have seen it time and time again. Poor people in developing companies have to make do with minimal wages and terrible working conditions all in the quest to cut overall quests. In Bangladesh alone, there have been 1800 people who have died in factory fires and building collapses in the last 15 years. Also in an attempt to decrease costs, environmentally unsafe methods are used that are a threat to people who live in areas surrounding factories. The emissions affect people’s health and lead to illness and even death. Once again, these areas are often home to lower-income households. Affluenza is not only a problem for the rich. Poor people are constantly faced with ads and TV shows that showcase having things as bringing happiness and status.
Despite this, one of the reasons that affluenza cannot be easily beaten is because it has been systematically facilitated. It is built into the economy and companies have been using this fact for years. They practise what is called planned obsolescence. First implemented by General Motors after the Great Depression, planned obsolescence is the continual upgrade of models only meant to last a short time. General Motors released a new car model every year to boost demand. Just like how mobile phones have a new version every year. The changes made to new models are usually just aesthetic and not always better quality but they still make old versions seem obsolete. Not everyone can afford to change the model of the car, phone or television every year but credit cards and personal loans have become even easier to come by to facilitate this buying.
Thus, affluenza is at the centre of society and the economy. Companies are conscious of our desire for more and are more than happy to facilitate it.
Key lesson four: Advertisements are designed to fuel overconsumption
We can not get very far without seeing an advertisement. Your commute to work, listening to the radio and even a simple internet search will bombard you with ads. In fact, we have gotten to the stage where two-thirds of the newspaper are advertisements along with half the mail we receive. This has had such a large impact on our lives that the average American can identify hundreds of corporate logos. In contrast, they can identify less than ten plants!
The fact that advertisements are able to influence the public’s behaviour has not gone unnoticed by companies. They use it to their advantage and even fund front groups which endorse their products. Front groups are those with very scientific-sounding names that seem very well established but are in fact created by companies to battle criticism. Examples of front groups are The American Council on Science and Health and The Heartland Institute. They are funded by fast food, petrochemical and energy companies and they defend their products. The effect of these tactics is quite evident in the fact that two-thirds of Americans still don’t believe in global warming.
Key lesson five: How to be happier and decrease your consumption
The effects of affluenza can be avoided. It is not easy but there are steps that can be taken to reduce overconsumption. The first of which is to realize that you cannot buy happiness. By decreasing your consumption, you might actually find that you are happier. A survey was done by the Center for a New American Dream actually found that after decreasing their consumption, 86 per cent of Americans were happier.
The best way to reduce consumption is to appreciate what you have more rather than attempting to have more. Some professionals have even found that living in smaller apartments can help stop cocooning. The apartment is small so they are forced to spend time outdoors and with others. Support also plays an important role in eliminating affluenza. Spending time with like-minded people, or helping others to overcome their affluenza helps everyone live healthier, happier and overall better lives.
The key takeaway from Affluenza is:
Technology has greatly helped our lives by increasing productivity. However, it has also led to us developing a disease called affluenza. We live in a society obsessed with consumption but this consumption is having devastating effects on our lives and our environment. We work harder just so that we have more money to satisfy our need for consumption. In the process, we harm our important relationships, social lives and the overall well-being of the planet. To be happier, you have to stop the pursuit of more. You just have to realize the harmful nature of affluenza and seek to eliminate it from your life. In doing so, you are not only helping yourself but everyone else on the planet as well.
How can I implement the lessons learned in Affluenza:
Start by recognizing how affluenza influences you. Take time to analyze your purchases and separate wants and needs. You will be surprised how many things we purchase not because we need it but because it was recommended by someone else or we saw an ad. If you slowly start recognizing these purchases you can stop them. In the process, you will find that they have not really made any difference in your life except by decreasing the money in your pocket!
