“A warning to those who have more taste than fortune”
There are countless reasons why we buy too much stuff. Sometimes, society and advertising cunningly push us to purchase, but other motivations seem to originate from within us. Among them, one particularly wicked impulse drives people to overconsume. The phenomenon of reactive purchasing and acquiring new possessions that result in a spiral of consumption has become known as the Diderot Effect. This effect is critical to understand if you want to curb overconsumption and avoid spending money on things you don’t need.
Cursed Be the Precious Garment
Despite being a key figure in the Age of Enlightenment, the French philosopher, art critic and writer Denis Diderot had spent most of his life in near poverty. Diderot’s name was well known because he was the co-founder and writer of Encyclopédie, one of the most comprehensive encyclopedias of the time. In 1765 Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia, heard of Diderot’s financial troubles and generously bought his 3,000-volume personal library and in addition provided a lifelong stipend for him as the book's librarian. Diderot suddenly had money to spare. Shortly after this fortunate sale, Diderot acquired a new scarlet robe. And that’s when everything went sideways ...Diderot’s new scarlet robe was beautiful. So beautiful that he immediately noticed how out of place it seemed among his common possessions. The philosopher soon felt the urge to buy new things that matched the beauty of his robe. He replaced his old rug with a new one from Damascus. He decorated his home with beautiful sculptures and a better kitchen table. He replaced his mediocre but beloved prints with new ones. He bought a new mirror to place above the mantle, and his “straw chair was relegated to the antechamber by a leather chair.” But rather than feeling content and grateful for his good fortune, Diderot experienced great dissatisfaction. Nothing seemed to match his usual style and status anymore. In his essay from 1769 “Regrets sur ma vieille robe de Chambre” (“Regrets on parting with my old dressing gown”), Diderot laments receiving the new dressing gown that has led him to replace all of his possessions with new ones, ultimately resulting in a feeling of deep discontentment and existential dread.
My old robe was one with the other rags that surrounded me. A straw chair, a wooden table, a rug from Bergamo, a wood plank that held up a few books, a few smoky prints without frames, hung by their corners on that tapestry. Between these prints, three or four suspended plasters formed, along with my old robe, the most harmonious indigence. All is now discordant. No more coordination, no more unity, no more beauty.
Denis Diderot
Diderot’s Lesson
The term “Diderot Effect” itself was coined and popularized by the anthropologist and scholar of consumption patterns Grant McCracken in 1988. Referencing Diderot’s essay, Grant McCracken asserts that when a well-established consumption pattern is disrupted — by purchasing a luxurious red robe, for example — individuals tend to respond by establishing a new consumption pattern that aligns with the quality and status symbolized by that particular item.McCracken uses the term Diderot Effect to describe the outcome of the interaction between objects within “product complements” or “Diderot unities” and consumers. A Diderot unity refers to a set of objects that are culturally complementary to each other, typically consumed together, and exhibit internal consistency based on one’s lifestyle. McCracken explains that a consumer is less inclined to diverge from their preferred Diderot unity to pursue a cohesive appearance or representation of their social role. This also means that acquiring an item that doesn’t fit the preferred Diderot unity can lead to a shift in the consumer’s choices, potentially causing them to embrace an entirely different Diderot unity. Say you start with a high-quality treadmill in your home. As you use it, you add weights, resistance bands, a yoga mat, and other fitness equipment to create a comprehensive workout space. If you’re lucky and disciplined enough, you’ll adopt a much healthier lifestyle that requires an investment in pricier nutrition and a closet full of workout clothes and gear. If you’re like most of us, you’ll have to have a yard sale soon after the initial enthusiasm wears off. We have all been there at some point; those countless storage boxes and stuffed closets tell of our failure to resist the effect. And your treadmill in the classifieds will soon become another victim of Diderot’s plight... Rinse and repeat.
The term has since become commonplace in discussions of sustainable consumption. Sociologist and economist Juliet Schor uses the term in her 1992 book The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don’t Need to describe the process of competitive, status-conscious consumption driven by dissatisfaction. Schor’s 2005 essay “Learning Diderot’s Lesson: Stopping the Upward Creep of Desire” describes the effect in contemporary consumer culture, within the context of its negative psychological, social, and environmental consequences. Schor provides tips on how to escape the effect and reduce the environmental impacts of overconsumption: “controlling desire, creating a new consumer symbolism (recognizing and escaping manipulative marketing strategies), learning to borrow and share (public Libraries are a good example), decommercializing the rituals (make Christmas, Valentines day, Halloween, Birthdays... about something other than gifts), embracing cost-free options, suppressing instant gratification...” and other strategies for a lifestyle that curbs rampant consumerism.
But Wait — There’s More...
The Diderot Effect generally has a negative connotation as an “evil instinct of the convenient” that practically coerces us into gluttony. But at its core, the Diderot Effect is also about the need for harmony between our sense of self and our external environment. It can even be seen as a positive by reinforcing identity and a sense of belonging in people’s lives. To recognize the Diderot Effect as a significant force and overcome it is rather difficult but not impossible. Failing to “keep up with the Joneses" in our respective consumerist identity bubble is perceived as socio-economic or cultural inferiority. But conversely, it’s actually about a growing backlash against the consumption culture, a movement of people who are downsizing, striving to satisfy only their immediate needs through intentional and considerate consumption.Diderot’s plight illustrates why it’s so easy to feel like you never have enough and how living economically can bring individuals a greater sense of satisfaction and peace of mind.
“I don’t cry, I don’t sigh, but every moment I say: Cursed be he who invented the art of putting a price on common material by tinting it scarlet. Cursed be the precious garment that I revere. Where is my old, my humble, my comfortable rag of common cloth? My friends, keep your old friends. My friends, fear the touch of wealth. Let my example teach you a lesson. Poverty has its freedoms; opulence has its obstacles.”
The frugal lifestyle of an uncompromised Diderot, much like that of a cognizant consumer in the 21st century, arguably means reducing waste and curbing costly habits. So, is less more? That’s a hard sell, but so is the gently used yoga mat at your yard sale.