Wednesday morning started like any other morning. I woke up,
got Matilda to dog daycare and got to the train station. While waiting for the
train to arrive I engaged myself with social media for the overnight goss. In
between the return of Nat Fyfe to Freo and Sam Armytage’s undies I reconnoitred a
scintillating Garmin watch. Instantly I love it. I want it. I must have it.
A few ‘the google’ searches later and bingo… I have found it!
The Sapphire Fenix 3
- in stock. click
-Gold-tone with a white band. click
-$899. click
-add to cart. click
I am going to run so much faster. Life is complete. Happy
dance on the platform.
Woahhhh… Hold up your horses. Who the heck has interchanged the
sensible sustainability sage in my brain with the susceptible schmuck?
Firstly, there is nothing wrong with your current watch and
secondly, you do not need it. You ran a 3.40 1 km Pb this week and no fancy pants
flashy watch would make you run any faster.
Thank goodness! The sage has returned to its rightful place
in my cerebral cortex and here comes the train. Best get on and leave the crazy
neurons on the platform.
Boy, I don’t know what just came over me?
Or do I?
Now that my neural network is back in operational order I
tune into it to try and remember the name of this outlandish phenomenon that just
took over me.
The cogs are turning… sounds like Detroit…The Diderot
Effect. That’s it.
As the story goes, the born-of-humble-circumstances French
philosopher Denis Diderot receives a beautiful scarlet dressing gown as a gift.
Upon bringing the dressing gown home, Diderot realises the dilapidation of his
home in contrast to the gown. Soon, he begins replacing each of his worn items,
his old desk was replaced with an expensive new writing-table; his formerly
beloved prints were replaced with costlier prints, and so on.
Realising that he had gone deeply into debt, Diderot blamed
the gift of the robe for making him unhappy with possessions that were
previously acceptable.
The Diderot Effect postulates that obtaining a new
possession often creates a spiral of consumption which leads you to acquire
more new things. As a result, we end up buying things that our previous selves
never needed to feel happy or fulfilled. Que The Sapphire Fenix 3.
Like many others, I have been a victim of the Diderot Effect.
Which makes perfect sense. Life has a natural tendency to become filled with
more. Our natural predisposition is to accumulate, to add, to upgrade, and to
build upon.
Years of trying to keep up with the Jones's had left me in this vicious cycle of always wanting more. I didn’t like
it. So my personal goal for this year was to try and break it by doing the
opposite. To downgrade, to simplify, to eliminate and to reduce. Become a
minimalist if you like. I reviewed all my expenses (memberships, internet,
entertainment, sugar) and downgraded, simplified and even eliminated where I
was able. I also made a conscious decision to reduce my shopping and only
purchased second-hand items*. I have also become a devoted user of my keep cup and one very proud worm farmer to reduce my environmental footprint.
*running shoes is a hard one. I have been through three
pairs this year and I just can’t bring myself to get these second hand.
The simple and minimalist life is not for everyone, I certainly
don’t pretend to be a saint either, but I feel that there is merit to some of
its underpinnings. In an age oppressed with economic uncertainty, colossal
consumer debt, materialism, job loss and foreclosures, a better understanding
of the individual characteristics that influence our own consumer behaviour can be instrumental in improving one's overall psychological health and well-being.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with spending your
hard-earned money. But you want to do it consciously, and the Diderot Effect is
kind of the opposite of that. If your financial goals are important to you, or
if you just don’t want to be ruled by crap, mindful spending is everything.
Now if you would like to delve a little further into the
the psychology behind your consumer schmuck, then you should pick up a copy of BUYOLOGY.
It will captivate anyone who’s been seduced – like I was this morning – by
advertiser’s relentless attempts to win our loyalty, our money, and our minds.
In BUYOLOGY, Martin Lindstrom, who was voted one of Time Magazine’s
most influential people of 2009, presents the findings from his ground-breaking
experiment that peered inside the brains of 2,000 volunteers from all around
the world as they encountered various ads, logos, commercials, brands, and
products. His astonishing results destroy much of what has long been believed
about what seduces our interest and drives us to buy. Among the questions he
explores:
Does sex actually sell? To what extent do people in skimpy
clothing and suggestive poses persuade us to buy products?
I did my own little experiment this week on Instagram to
test Lindstrom’s theory. I posted a picture of me dressed in my Nike running
tights and crop top (skimpy clothing) smiling (according to 'the google' this is
the #1 female feature that males find the sexiest).
I can’t say that I have arrived at a definitive answer on
the question but what I can tell you is that after posting the picture;
1. A man from Turkmenistan asked me to marry him.
Or at least I think that’s what he said… My Turkmen is not the best and,
2. Nike share prices rose by 1.47% - I’ll keep my
eye on the mailbox for my endorsement check thank you very much.
Jokes aside I think I will leave the sportswear modelling to
the pros and get back to doing what I do best… running. It was fun while it
lasted but the irony is that my little experiment into what it is that drives
consumerism is what lead me to all most go over the yellow line on the platform
this morning.
My overindulgence in
social media corrupted the sage in my brain and turned it to canned spinach. It
had gone into pop-eye mode and was starting to believe the bulls*#t I was being
bombarded with.
Thankfully the sage is back and she says ‘Mojo the only way
to go faster is to get out there and train for it'.
On that note, I am off for a run. This will be my
last post for the year, I hope everyone has a wonderful festive season and I look
forward to writing to you all in the new year. It is going to be a great one!
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