Do we need ‘stuff’ to be happy?

The more you have of it, the more you worry about it, the more it can go wrong, the more time you spend fixing it or replacing it and the more frustrated you become with it.

 

 

The average person now lives in more luxury (better sanitation and better health) than royalty in the 17th century. Unfortunately though, many millions of people on this tiny planet don’t have that ‘luxury.’ Of course we have evolved since tribal life and we have become more sophisticated (although that depends on your definition of the word of course) and with that life has also become more complicated. 

 

We have more stuff now than ever before in human history. It seems we can’t get enough of it.  It was not all that long ago that all we needed was enough food in our belly, a dry place to sleep and the safety of belonging to our tribe, group or community. So do we really need stuff to be happy? Well yes and no. Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University, says once you have enough money to meet basic needs – food and shelter, incremental increases have little effect on your happiness. A wide body of research suggests the number is approximately $60,000 a year. So it is important to have the basics to be comfortable but the desire for the latest and the greatest creates dissatisfaction and demand.

 

People in more affluent countries are not consistently happier than people in developing countries. Here in Australia we are no happier than we were in the 1950’s despite all the new inventions, advances in technology and material wealth.

 

Remember the adaptation principle we’ve talked about before? You get something new and while this might be exciting and fulfilling for a little while, very soon your brain will adapt to the new situation and the excitement diminishes rapidly. It can even have the opposite effect. A study published in June in Psychological Science by Ms. Dunn and others found that wealth beyond the basics actually interfered with people's ability to enjoy positive emotions and experiences. Why?  Because having more than your basic requirements actually reduces the ability to enjoy life's smaller everyday pleasures.

 

It appears the more we have the more we seem to want, and rather than making us happy it seems to have the opposite effect. Teenagers and young adults have more stuff than any generation preceding them. Despite all the stuff they’ve got, there is an epidemic amongst them; they are damaging their brains drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. They spend unprecedented amounts of money on drugs and alcohol; otherwise they find it difficult to have a good time. People are experiencing depression more than ever before and are increasingly using drugs (legal as well as illegal) and alcohol to self-medicate.

 

So are we happier with all our extra stuff? The answer is a resounding NO!

 

1. How much stuff do you have right now that you never use?

2. Can you remember the particular stuff that you really wanted at the time that you never use now?

3. Do you think you will ever use it again?

4. Where do you store this stuff?

5. How much do you think this stuff has enriched your life?

6. Think of what makes you happy that does not involve buying something or getting stuff?

 

If you no longer need or want any of the stuff that you thought would make you happy, you can still derive happiness from it. How? Give it away to someone who needs it or would appreciate it. They will be happy receiving it (well, for a little while at least!) but more importantly, it will make you happy giving it, and giving versus receiving makes most people happier, for longer!