Deriving happiness from possessions

Atlas23

Atlas23

Atlas23

Soldato
Joined
9 Jul 2013
Posts
3,846
Location
The Garden Tomb
I wonder if anyone else here is guilty of this.

I have always had the 'problem' of impulse buying things. It started off with smaller things when I was younger as I would breeze through different hobbies, buy the best gear I could afford, get bored and then move onto another hobby (e.g. RC Helis, bought a £120 Sea King but it has sat in its box for years).

As I grew older, I could afford more, which led to buying more and more stuff.

This year alone, I have bought; a car, 50inch LED tv, £1700 gaming desktop, Nintendo 3DS, 5.1 surround sound system, countless ps3, pc, vita, 3DS games, iphone 5s, ipad mini, gaming headset, 2 guitars, and PS4 (soon). And that is just what I can remember at the moment. Of course there is also rent/fuel/social/living costs all on top of that.

Basically, I derive some kind of 'happiness' from buying new stuff, the excitement of waiting for it to arrive, and then ultimately the slow disappointment when it does arrive and I realise it's just another object in my life (excluding my gaming PC, as that still 'pleases' me).

Does anyone else do this? I've heard it could be due to low self-esteem, and the Dopamine release that comes from buying new stuff.

I don't really want to live like a minimalist, but it would be nice to have some money saved up for things I will actually need like a deposit for my first house etc.

TLDR: I buy too much stuff, it pleases me temporarily. Do you do the same.
 
Yep I'm guilty of it, even my house mate has noticed I'm worse when somethings getting me down.
 
I guess it could be comparable to the stereotype of women eating chocolate and ice cream when they are depressed.

Except in this case it is buying excessive amounts of technology and not using it.

It sometimes gets to the point where I see all of my tech as 'just another screen' in my life. TV, PC monitor, phone, 3DS, Vita, PSP, MacBook.. all just different ways of killing my eyes :D

Happy days
 
yes I want it to be referenced in BMJ with an ology or iac suffix.

Not just a disorder which is dumbing down of the latin that was previously used for such conditions.

are we just kleptomaniacs except buying instead of stealing, some minor OCD.

I don't buy stuff due to depression though quite the opposite more likely to buy when feeling good.

i.e. everything's going well I think I'll have these 120 quid headphones. :D

I would say so like an alcoholic needs a drink or a serial killer needs a victim I find that I also need something to buy now and again and research it to death buy it and then find out a week later that I could have got it cheaper despite extensive research or that there is a better model for a few quid more.

Not in your league yet but perhaps you aren't married with child. ;)
 
Last edited:
My name is Blazin23, and I am a Derivinghappinessfrompossessionsiac.

But yeah, I get those feels man. Dat buzz from researching something, reading every single review you can find.

And I am not married and have no kids (live in a flat with my GF.. so there are still some expenses :p) and have a fairly high disposable income. Although everyone (old people) keep telling me I should be saving.

That damn voice in my head saying 'you only live once' just before I buy things
 
I use to do the same; got different gear because I can and changed camera brands multiple times during my photography stint. Got me into a little debt but since getting a hold on working and saving properly, I get more of a kick getting rid of debts and seeing larger numbers in my bank account at the end of months...

It took sometime like 'the need' to save for a deposit, to plan for a future with my GF, to get married, to start a family - something I want as I fast approach 30. This drove me to change my mind set. Buying things cheaper than what is available, buying quality stuff at cheaper price, shopping around and getting bargains also helps drive my personal satisfaction - much better than the instant hit of "wow, new kit is coming" and the "unboxing" feel good factor.

My bank account is slowly thanking me for being sensible.
 
I derive happiness from possessions, though I suppose it's in a different way to yours. I am playing my guitar, and I enjoy learning new skills and pieces of music on my guitar as well as just playing around or "noodling".

I see no issue with deriving happiness from material objects, it just depends how your outlook on it is I suppose. I don't derive happiness from simply owning specific items, and I tend to only really buy stuff if I have a use for it even if I might not use it on a regular basis.
 
I can be quite impulsive sometimes, but most of the time I find it very hard to justify buying things.

This year I bouht a 55" Panasonic Plasma, 5.1 setup, a Hang Glider and loads of kit for it, loads of books which I still haven't read, new bits for the PC, loads of other gadgets....

Sometimes I feel like I buy stuff because I'm a bit bored, but it usually tends to be small bits and pieces because I don't like having tonnes of clutter in my house!

EDIT: Oh, Steam Sales tend to make me go crazy. Forgot about that.
 
Last edited:
spoffle said:
I see no issue with deriving happiness from material objects, it just depends how your outlook on it is I suppose. I don't derive happiness from simply owning specific items, and I tend to only really buy stuff if I have a use for it even if I might not use it on a regular basis.
Click to expand...

I think my issue is that I just buy stuff for the sake of it. I derive the pleasure from getting new stuff, not just from owning the existing items. I too enjoy playing guitar, but I now have 8 guitars and not much time to play them.. mainly as I play BF4 every night.

I have too much excess. For example, when I got my DS Lite, I got a card to play roms on (won't name it here for obvious reasons) and instantly had access to 120 games. I then barely played it because I couldn't make my mind up over which game to play. I have the same problem with my 130+ Steam games.

Although I have been getting a bit better (minus buying the PS4), I got rid of most of my PS3 games, and think I will start recording every single time I buy something, just so I can look back and see how much I have been wasting.
 
I don't suffer from this problem, there is so much free stuff to do to keep me entertained. Although I do own an overspecced PC of course.
 
Nope...

Probably because I smoke weed, ever since I started I've lost the desire to buy things I dont need and thats the only variable that I can think could have caused my loss of interest.

Before that I used to definately get a buzz out of buying stuff but that buzz only lasted while I was in the middle of a transaction, after I 'owned' the item it soon went and I was often left thinking 'Why did I buy this!?'
 
Blazin23 said:
And I am not married and have no kids (live in a flat with my GF.. so there are still some expenses :p)
Click to expand...

Do what I did and propose to your gf. When you've got a wedding to save for you'll soon stop buying all that stuff.

I certainly did.... Although now I've got a massive list of 'things to buy' for after the wedding when I finally have some disposable income again :D
 
mpledge52 said:
Do what I did and propose to your gf. When you've got a wedding to save for you'll soon stop buying all that stuff.

I certainly did.... Although now I've got a massive list of 'things to buy' for after the wedding when I finally have some disposable income again :D
Click to expand...

Worst advice ever! Decide you want to take up a new hobby and suddenly, there's no money to do it with! :p
 
Yeah I do to a certain extent, but rather than buying something and forgetting about it I tend to buy something expensive, and then stick to it for a good length of time.

We're paying the house off a lot earlier than its mortgage term, but part of me does wonder why, given that I won't be able to do as much when we're older, why not get myself the new bike I want now? Bleh.
 
I bought myself a nice car - but that's pretty much the only real expense I've splurged out on for myself recently. I don't really "need" anything. My laptop works, my tv is good enough, and any other things I need are just pure frivolity. I guess I like to spend money on good food, and seeing friends. I guess my priorities have changed, despite earning more than I used to, I'm more careful about what I spend. Oh actually the next expense will be the honeymoon, that's likely to be a fair chunk of change - but why not? :)
 
Last edited:
I can see this thread going deeply philosophical soon with the merits of consumerism being questioned.

I know a few people like this myself and I think there is a certain psychological element to it if your constantly looking for something new to replace something else. Could always go and hug some trees and find the value of nature. :P
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom