Why Do We Want Things We Don’t Need?
In 1769, a French thinker in Paris wrote about his unusual experience in an article. This thinker was the French philosopher Denis Diderot. In this article, Diderot described how he came into possession of a new and sumptuous dressing gown. But instead of bringing him happiness, it brought him unhappiness. And the reason for his unhappiness is still debated by psychologists and marketing experts almost two hundred and fifty years later. It is known as the Diderot effect.
Diderot lived almost his entire life in poverty. In 1765 Diderot was 52 years old and his daughter was about to get married. However, there was a problem. Diderot could not afford the wedding expenses. Even though he had financial difficulties, Diderot’s name was quite well known at that time. Because he was the co-founder and author of the Encyclopédie, one of the most comprehensive encyclopedias of the time.
It was around this time that Empress Catherine the Great of Russia offered to buy Diderot’s library from him for 1000 GBP. This made his problems disappear in an instant. In the money of the time, that was a lot of money. He married off his daughter and bought himself a red dressing gown as a small reward. But that’s where the problems started…
Diderot would go on to quote the following in his article. “Now there is complete disharmony. The general atmosphere is spoiled. There is no longer any integrity or beauty”. This need for integrity led Diderot to desire to improve all his belongings. In this way, his belongings could match the splendor of his new dressing gown.
The Diderot Effect
Diderot’s red dressing gown was beautiful. But it was so beautiful that it stood out from the rest of her possessions. The general atmosphere of the house was spoiled, everything began to disturb him. This need for unity brought Diderot the desire to improve all his possessions. In this way, his belongings could match the panache of his new dressing gown. Soon, with a new tapestry, new paintings, new prints, a new chair, a wardrobe, a mirror, a new desk and an expensive clock, he completely transformed his entire apartment. But she was never again as happy as she was with her old dressing gown.
In 1988, anthropologist Grant McCracken coined the term Diderot Effect to describe this desire for wholeness and how it shapes what we buy. At the time, many economists saw consumer goods as isolated objects, each owned only for its function or utility. And so they were easily replaced when a cheaper or better model became available.
McCracken’s approach was different. Rather than looking at things in isolation, he argued that what we own reflects our personality and our place in society. And so we are often concerned with clusters of things that come together through the power of the Diderot Effect, which states that acquiring a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption that allows you to acquire more new things.
The Power of the Diderot Effect Today
The Diderot Effect tells us that there will be more things to fight to get into your life. That’s why you need to understand how to improve, eliminate and focus on the things that matter. We think that the things we own determine our personality and our place in society. And so we are often interested in clusters of things that come together through the power of the Diderot Effect. But in general, the introduction of a new object into our lives leads to the state of consumption that Diderot observed with his dressing gown.
The matching and designs applied during the display of consumer goods in stores are also made with this logic. Each of these clusters of goods prepared in stores is filled with products that complement each other. The totality of these consumer objects represents a completely new identity and a new way of life. If you are tempted by a product in these clusters, it is likely to be followed by new purchases through the Diderot Effect.
This was true for Diderot, who bought a new dressing gown but did not attain wealth. On the contrary, Diderot felt freer in his old dressing gown. Perhaps he could wipe his dusty books with the skirt of his old dressing gown, or perhaps he did not mind the ink dripping from the tip of his pen onto his clothes. Diderot’s new dressing gown, which initially promised him confidence and freedom, ultimately trapped him.
The solution to every negative habit begins with awareness. The natural human tendency is to consume more, not less. Based on this tendency, it is necessary to make a conscious effort to keep the flow of consumption under control. We hope this article will help you think about how to do this.
