Diderot effect, the constant need to buy more

Most of us buy more than we really need. Although this is not the case for everyone, many people spend more than their income level would recommend. There are many reasons why this occurs, but one of the most interesting is known as the Diderot effect.

Grasp How our mind works and why we act the way we do (and not another) It is essential to change our problematic behaviors. Therefore, understanding the Diderot Effect and the power it has over us can help us reduce our level of spending. In this article we will study this psychological effect and give some ideas to identify and combat it.

What exactly is the Diderot effect?

The Diderot effect was first described in the 18th century by a French philosopher from whom it took its name. This thinker realized that Acquiring a new possession can suddenly lead to the purchase of many others.. Concerned about expenses that he saw as unnecessary, he began to study what was happening; His work was later expanded upon in the late 20th century by anthropologist Grant McCracken.

Among their most important discoveries was the fact that The objects we own have a direct relationship with our identity. Thus, our possessions and what we think about them also influence elements as angular as our self-concept or our self-esteem.

McCracken thought that when we add we increase our possessions by adding one more, the dissonance that can occur if it is very different from the rest can make us feel very uncomfortable. Therefore, on many occasions we will tend to acquire new things that are more in line with the first thing we bought or with what we already have.

This would be what would happen when the Diderot effect came into play. To understand it better, below we will see an example described by Denis Diderot himself while he was researching the topic.

Example: The bathrobe

The discovery of the Diderot effect was motivated by an event that changed the life of the French philosopher in an unexpected way. In his work Regrets when saying goodbye to my old bathrobe, He told the story of how an innocent gift ended up leading him to ruin..

In the book, Diderot says that receiving a beautiful scarlet bathrobe as a gift brought him unexpected consequences. At first, the philosopher was delighted with his new possession. However, He soon realized that the rest of his objects were far from being as elegant..

Thus, Diderot tells in his book that soon began to replace his old possessions. She changed her old wooden chair for a comfortable armchair with a leather seat. She replaced the paintings in his house with much more expensive ones. Little by little, he was spending more and more money on acquiring elegant objects that matched his new bathrobe.

Almost without realizing it, the man He ended up spending all his money on possessions he didn’t really want.. This is the prime example of what the Diderot effect can do to us if we let it control our decisions. However, can we do something to combat it?

How to combat this phenomenon

Below you will find several keys to avoid the worst consequences of the Diderot Effect.

Realize what is happening. When we are aware of what we are doing, thinking biases have less of an effect on us. Therefore, before making any expensive purchase, stop and think about whether you really want or need the object in question.Analyze the costs of future purchases. Each object by itself may not be a big expense. However, how much will you be paying if you buy everything you want right now? Instead of getting carried away every time, it is much more useful to calculate in advance how much you can spend and what you want to spend it on.Choose what to buy for its usefulness rather than its status. In general, the most important criterion for purchasing something new is knowing whether it will be useful to you. Keeping up appearances through your possessions can be very addictive; However, unless you have a lot of money to spare, it usually doesn’t make sense to do so.

In conclusion, keeping the Diderot effect at bay can be complicated. However, if you are aware of what you do and If you reduce your motivation to impress others, you will soon realize that you no longer need to make hundreds of new purchases. simply for the status they provide you or so that they are in line with others.

You might be interested…