Materialism and Consumerism

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It is okay to own objects especially when they are essential to survival. Things like food, shelter, water, or clothing are fine to have, but when people impulsively buy everything they see, that is when they should take a step back and consider their life, and why they have so many things just to be happy. “Researchers believe that gaining happiness from objects is materialism (Clark).” Everyone owns objects and whether it is a phone or a favorite toy, we all have them, but materialism is a growing problem because of hoarding, obsession, and distraction. Materialism is not a new thing; it is on television, in magazines, and in commercials.
Hoarding has television shows dedicated to it. For example, Hoarders is a show about people's homes that are filled with random junk, which most people would have thrown away. Hoarders on Television are overly attached to and constantly crave the need for new items. “The reason they need new things is that when a person buys an object its new value only stays for six to twelve weeks before people become accustomed to it (Clark).” That object then becomes the new normal and loses its new buy value. People get bored and move on to another new Object. They do not want to get rid of their stuff, but they never use these things. Hoarding affects people when they succumb to the thought that only their things can bring them happiness. That is why many of the people on Hoarders live alone and their family will not visit them. To avoid hoarding people should by experiences instead of a new item.
“When people buy experiences, the happy memories they get from the experiences lasts longer than the feeling of a new object (Clark).” People cannot resist the urge to buy something because it ...

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...can visit them because the hoarders’ homes are completely filled and cluttered. Materialistic children develop psychological problems when their parents give them all they ask for because they never learned the value of earning something or being able to care about anything besides them selves.

Works Cited

Rosenbloom, Stephanie. "But will it make you happy?" New York Times
[New York] 07 Aug 2010, n. page. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
.
Clark, Josh. "What makes people happier --objects or experiences?"
How stuff works. N.P., n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2013.
< http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/people-happier.htm>
Levine, Madeline. "How Materialism Hurts Our Kids." Tikkun Magazine.
23 Jun 2009: n. page. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
< http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/Levine-materialismhurtsourkidsprivilege>.

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