alittlepoison

Extracts from an article by Paul Brown in today’s Guardian:

“Shopping until you drop leads to debt and misery, and not to happiness, so policy must be altered to curb Britain’s consumer society, the government has been advised…

Buying consumer goods, or ‘retail therapy,’ is driven by deep evolutionary forces such as sexual competition and the need to show off and increase social status, but does nothing to make people content …

Current levels of consumption cannot be maintained and will lead to greater inequality, environmental damage and debt-driven insecurity. “Western consumerism appears determined to pursue a way of life that offers neither psychological nor social satisfaction. To make matters worse, it has profound environmental impact,” the report says. “That environmental damage is a side effect from a failed attempt to improve human wellbeing is potentially tragic.” …

The belief that consumption leads to wellbeing is so deeply ingrained that we cannot believe it is not true, says the report. “A growing number of studies show that people in industrialised countries do not feel any more happy or satisfied as average income grows beyond the level to meet basic physical needs.” …

Researchers call for school children to be taught the dangers of consumerism for their own wellbeing and for Britain.”