We buy expensive things to advertise our fitness to other people, says Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico. In his new book, Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior, Miller suggests that the reason people buy expensive cars and consumer electronics has less to do with their desire to own quality goods than it does with their desire to attract quality mates and friends.
In John Tierney's New York Times blog, TierneyLab, Miller says buying expensive things is, well, expensive, but it is one of the least worst ways to display one's status when you compare it to other cultures throughout history:
Consumerist capitalism is the least oppressive system of mass trait display ever developed. It’s much better than a militaristic dominance-based society or a theocracy or lots of other ways in which you basically display your intelligence and conscientiousness and disagreeableness by how efficiently you can oppress slaves or minority groups. But I think we can still do better.
Miller offers an exercise to help you think about how and why you spend money on big ticket items. He says to make a list of the ten most expensive things you've ever bought, and another list of the ten things that have made you the happiest. Then compare the two lists to see how many items appear on both.
I haven't actually done the exercise yet, at least not on paper, but after thinking about it for a while, the only item that I can think of that might appear on both lists would be my house. What's on your list? Please share it in the comments.
Mark Frauenfelder – Editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine and the founder of the popular Boing Boing weblog, Mark was an editor at Wired from 1993-1998 and is the founding editor of Wired Online.
Mark Frauenfelder Credit.com contributor, editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine and the founder of the popular site Boing Boing, Mark was an editor at Wired from 1993-1998 and is the founding editor of Wired Online. He covers creative DIY projects and how-tos that will help you make the most of your money.
{ 9 comments… add a comment }
My lists are almost aligned, with three things on the expensive list that are not on the happy list. Two of those things are purchases that I now regret, one of them was a practical necessity.
I have not bought many status-y things… haven’t really had enough money to do so until recently. Here’s to hoping that as I get older, I can keep the lists in line!
Thanks for showing me this great thought exercise.
most expensive: college education
made me the happiest: college education, (in a very indirect way)
Actually, I’m kind of proud of myself. (I think). Except for the car, there is lots of cross over.
1. house, 2. car (pick up truck, ugly), 3. horse (daily upkeep, vet bills) 4. other horse (daily upkeep, vet bills) 5. cat (daily upkeep, vet bills) 6. other cat (daily upkeep, vet bills) 7. other other cat (daily upkeep, vet bills) 8. rabbit (daily upkeep, vet bills), 9. art that I love and look at every day 10. computer – music. duh.
What else is there? Travel I guess.
Your rabbit costs more than your computer?
I suspect it’s more complex than that. I mean, I spent a huge chunk of change on a new roof, but that has a lot more to do with “unhappiness aversion” than direct happiness. The same is true of the house itself: that I think I would be more unhappy if I did not buy this house, but the house does not make me happy.
I learned at an early age that having something (in my case, Queen’s album with “Another One Bites the Dust” on it) did not make me popular or happy. As such, I’ve come to make purchases solely for selfish reasons — specifically not to improve my social status.
My demon with consumerism was more to do with buying junk I didn’t need because I believed it was a path to happiness. The anticipation of a purchase from Amazon.com was exciting, but the actual posession was deflating. Fortunately, a layoff followed by a refusal to go back to the corporate-job life put an end to that instantly.
i’ve recently discovered that having houseplants all around me makes me far happier than any big ticket item i’ve bought.
my most expensive purchases were computers, travelling and my scooter, happiest being my pet ferret, my sweet cheap apartment, travelling and scooting. i’m sure there are other things but i can’t get past the ferret/scooter combination
and both of them together? clear the roads.
“…and another list of the ten things that have made you the happiest” … I don’t see any indication that these 10 must be “purchased.”
Vacation
Appliances (NA)
HAPPY LIST:
1) Wife
2) Daughter (unborn and due in 9 days!)
3) Dog x 2
4) Other family
5) Friends
6) Home PC
7) House
9) Warm, sunny weather
10) Job
EXPENSIVE LIST:
1) House (7)
2) Car 1 (NA)
3) Car 2 (NA)
4) Landscaping Project (NA)
5) Wife’s ring/jewelry (NA)
6) Vacation (8)
7) Dogs (3)
9) TV & Electronics (NA)
10) Home PC (6)
I’m a complete egoist. So I buy a ton of sappy crap to impress myself.