Many people know the problem: On a shopping tour, it is easy to get into a shopping spree. The Diderot effect is behind it.
Are you one of those people who run out of money at the end of the month? Managing your finances well is an art that not many have mastered. Too often we spend money on unnecessary things. A certain effect is decisive for this.
An example: you recently got yourself a brand new, trendy top. The problem: it doesn’t go with any pants. So you go on a shopping tour again and spend money again, this time on the right pair of pants. And while you’re at it, you buy new shoes and a matching jacket so that your outfit is perfect.
Spiral of consumption
The Diderot effect is behind this consumer behavior. Denis Diderot was a French writer in the 18th century. His life changed abruptly in 1765 when he got rich. Before that he lived more or less in poverty. But when Catherine the Great bought his personal book collection, Diderot suddenly had money.
From this he bought an expensive, beautiful, scarlet dressing gown. This was so noble that suddenly there was no longer any connection to his other possessions. He was overcome by the need to buy more and more things that were worthy of his new garment.
He exchanged his old carpet for one from Damascus. He also bought a new, matching desk, as well as a gold-plated pendulum clock and a large mirror over the fireplace. In 1768 the essay was published with the title “Reasons to mourn my old housecoat, or: A warning to everyone who has more taste than money”.
The Diderot effect describes how people feel compelled to buy an item and thus make further purchases in order to create a suitable overall picture. The acquisition of a single new item often sets off an avalanche-like, almost compulsive buying frenzy in the consumer.
The term is often used, especially in advertising psychology. The chain reaction is triggered because the new product disturbs the harmonious overall picture in the customer’s imagination and instinctively forces him to correct, says social scientist Grant McCracken. The Diderot effect puts the buyer in a hopeless compulsion to consume, but a coherent “final image” can never be achieved.
In his essay, Diderot complains that he had replaced his old dressing gown: “Why didn’t I keep it? It suited me, I suited him. My old dressing gown and all the trinkets that I had arranged myself with – went well one to the other. ” But with some strategies you can counteract the effect preventively.
Avoid buying frenzy
In the first step before buying, consider whether the new “thing” fits into your life at all. This is especially true for clothing or furniture. If you are getting yourself a new dining table, you should ask yourself whether your armchairs will also go with it.
In addition, avoid impulses that can trigger a consumption spiral. Specifically, such triggers can always be found in online shopping. On Amazon, Zalando & Co., products are always suggested that you could buy with them. So keep your hands off it. Also, realize that your material possessions never define you.
