Have you ever renovated any of your belongings and then the other items around it started to bother you? About 300 years ago, French Philosopher Denis Diderot coined a term describing entering this cycle of consumption and the obligation to follow this cycle: The Diderot Effect.

What is the Diderot effect?

We can clarify this concept with an example. For example, you bought a new sofa for your living room. After replacing the seat, you realized that the carpet in your home did not suit it at all and you changed the carpet. Then the curtains caught your eye and this time you started looking for new curtains. This consumption spiral is called the Diderot Effect.

The Diderot Effect How to Escape the Consumption Trap Your Exposed to

According to the story in the article "Regrets for My Old Dressing Gown" by the Enlightenment philosopher Diderot (1769), Diderot was given a flashy red dressing gown as a gift. Diderot found himself in this cycle after wearing this new red dressing gown given to him as a gift. Since none of the other items in his study room were compatible with his new outfit and did not form a unity, and all his other items looked "shabby" next to his new outfit, in order to eliminate this incompatibility and the uneasiness caused by it, he first renewed his desk, then renewed his curtains and other items, and continued to change. Finally, the study room was completely renovated and created a harmonious integrity with its new robe.

However, despite all these changes and innovations, Diderot should have been happy, but on the contrary, he complained about this situation, and he expressed this complaint and complaint in a remarkable way in his article, originally titled Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown , with the following words: “While I was the absolute master of my old dressing gown, I became the slave of the new one.” .”

In this story, Diderot explains how unhappy he was once humble and happy, but now he is among his elegant, organized and beautifully furnished new belongings, and his discomfort with excessive consumption with the following expressions: “I do not cry, I do not sigh, but I say this all the time: I invented the art of pricing ordinary materials by The precious garment I revered is now cursed. Where is my old, my modesty, my comfortable common fabric?

“What did I do that I didn't hide? He suited me, and I suited him. It fit on my body like a mold, and it never felt tight. On the contrary, it gave me charm and beauty. The new one is solid, starched, and turns you into a model when you wear it. The other one would not be offended, he would immediately come to my service; The poor are like that, they love to do good. If a book got dusty, one of the skirts of my cardigan would quickly wipe it off. If the ink was dry and my pen was not flowing, one of his sleeves would quickly clean it. Those services he frequently rendered to me had left long, dark lines on him. These lines showed that I was a man of letters, a writer, a working person. Now I have become like the idle rich; "Who I am is not understood."

How can we avoid falling into the chain consumption trap?

We are exposed to so many advertisements and marketing tactics every day. The good news is that there are things we can do to avoid this chain consumption trap.

Change the habits that drive you to consumption.

Stay as far away as possible from places that will tempt you to shop. Try to spend less time in shopping malls or online shopping applications. You can try to replace these habits with new habits . For example, when you realize that you are using shopping applications to kill time, you close them and read a book, or this time you choose a cafe instead of a shopping mall to meet...

Realize your needs.

When you buy a product, think about whether you really need this purchase. When you see a spending influence that will lead you to buy, take a hard look at what it is. There is probably a successful marketing tactic behind this desire. Before every product or service you intend to purchase, ask yourself whether you really need it and why you want to buy it. Maybe you desire the effect of status that it will create on you when you wear that shoe rather than that shoe. In this case, what you are after is much more than shoes, and the shoes you will probably buy will not satisfy this desire and will not be a solution for you.

Place restrictions on your need for overconsumption.

You can set yourself a daily, weekly or monthly spending limit. Encourage not only yourself but also your friends and colleagues to set limits on spending.

Research before purchasing.

Become a conscious consumer and disrupt the current marketing system. When you are impressed by an advertisement, research the user experiences and content of the product before purchasing. Advertisements can be misleading. When you get into the habit of researching in detail before purchasing, you will see that you will give up buying many of them.

Find triggers.

Spending habits can cause addiction. If a particular mood or situation triggers your desire to shop, find that trigger and develop another strategy to deal with it. For example, if you observe that your desire to shop increases when you are stressed, you can develop a meditation habit to cope with stress. Or maybe it feels good to meet up with your friends. So, when you feel stressed, instead of running to the shopping malls, try talking to a friend who truly understands you.

Manage your time.

Realize how much of your time window shopping or browsing apps takes up. Make time for yourself to do things that are more valuable to you.

Volunteer.

If you want, start working on organized intervention. You can get involved in events or organizations that focus on consumer issues and reduce spending at the same time.