Is consumerism harmful?

"The citizens of the so-called 'developed nations' consume more products, live in bigger houses, use more consumer durables than those of the rest of the world. They have a higher material standard of living. However, social indicators such as family structure, suicide and crime levels tell a different story. Family breakdown, stress, loneliness and depression are much higher in the ‘developed’ countries. This is both a result of and a cause of increased economic activity, for many reasons. One of the main ones is that depressed people are encouraged to cheer themselves up by consuming."

[1]

This prompted this question. Not a reliable source per se but interesting. What do you think?

Buying things for the sake of buying things can become an addiction {too lazy to find a citation}. Why do we want to buy things? Because we are bombarded with advertising. Where does advertising come from? Retailers who make money when we buy things. They like it when we buy things we don't need and can't afford.

It's like pharmaceutical companies that "discover" a new disease so they can sell you the cure. A certain percentage of the populace will buy a product, no matter what it is. If you presented it properly (and got around those pesky regulations), people would buy nuclear waste. Happy Fun Ball, anyone?

Where is the justification for the belief that owning things will make you happy?

edited 22nd Apr '11 1:50:56 PM by RalphCrown

Life is harmful because people die from it, it must be purged!
Seriously, nothing is wrong with consumerism itself, but the extent it has grown its tentacles into society is what is wrong with it.

Nothing new here, been known all up and down the historical record.

Walden Pond, going to live in a cave in the desert, whatever and elsewhere.

I think that correlation doesn't imply causation. I'm thinking that probably, the people in the developed countries simply have more time on their hands, and more of an opportunity to mope, whereas in developing countries, you can not afford to sit on your ass and feel sorry for yourself, you need to get out there and support your family. And considering that exercise/manual labour is a far more effective treatment for depression than any medication...