Consumerism is a way of life for too many

I hate to admit it, but I have "a thing" for sweaters. The walk from the mailbox to my kitchen each day has me scouring the latest catalogs for sweaters "I can't live without."

Our new president, however, has delivered a sobering message to American consumers like me. He states that we are in dire financial straits as a country and that most of us "will need to change the way we live" in order to survive the economic crisis we find ourselves in. Frankly, he has me wondering about the viability of my sweater collection.

As a psychologist, of course I believe that if we understand why we do something, we can devise new ways of thinking about the situation and healthier behaviors will result. Hence, I have scoured the journals of psychology to help explain why we have fallen victims to consumerism.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in 1982 the average American's personal savings rate was 11 percent of their annual income. In 2009, it is now below zero.

Part of the problem, psychologists believe, is simply availability. Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor, notes that before 1970, there were few ways to spend money in your home. That changed in 1976 when L.L. Bean began mailing their catalog to peoples' homes, with the ability to place orders from your home phone, toll-free. Next, the home shopping network came along. Now advertisements are everywhere you turn: airplane tray tables, children's shows, and during previews while waiting for your movie to start.

Purchasing is frequently in the back of our brain. Credit cards and the Internet enable us to buy things while at home, in the car, even at work. It only takes a couple of minutes, and an item is yours.

Companies and advertising agencies know what they are doing. Companies focus on inventing products that will improve what you already have or fill a void of something you don't have. Advertisers spend millions studying how to seduce us into purchasing. Companies then pay advertising agencies millions of dollars to convince us we cannot live without the item. It works, we buy countless items slightly better than what we already have or items we don't really "need."

Furthermore, people used to fear debt. It has now become a way of life: credit card companies target high school students, leading them into a lifetime of irresponsible consumerism. Many of us, psychologists believe, have been conditioned to see consumerism as a way of life. Our generation now thinks many things are "needs" that previous generations saw as "wants."

Insecurity and stress drive spending. The advertising industry targets women and teen girls with a parade of beautiful, pencil-thin models, leading us to believe if we buy the products they hock, we might become more desirable. And, according to research by Roy Baumeister, Ph.D. in the Journal of Consumer Research, "Like a muscle that tires after too much use," stress causes unmanageable demands on our self-control, making us more vulnerable to impulsive, over-spending.

Buying something can be a quick "pick me up" we give ourselves when we feel overwhelmed. The problem being, even big purchases, such as buying a car, only give us a 24 to 48 hour euphoria. Yet, some get addicted to this rush, needing the next purchase after the glow of the last has faded.

"People may have more physical objects and possessions now than they had in previous generations, but many of them are deeply unhappy," Vyse notes. Financial problems are the number one cause of marital problems today. Similarly, I frequently hear parents say they feel guilty they don't spend more time with their kids so they buy their children things to express their love.

Ironically, the more we spend, the more we need to work, and the less time we spend with family and friends (the activities psychologists know for sure that lead to happiness).

So, the next time you are ready to press the 'send' button on that internet purchase, remind yourself that it won't make you happy for more than a day or two, and may actually make you miserable for the long haul. Avoid the internet and catalogs; they are really seductive once you are looking at them. Fill your time with activities that are known to make people happy such as reading a book, taking a walk with a friend, and cooking dinner with your family. Get rid of your credit cards. I hate to suggest there is a bright spot to the economic struggles many of us find ourselves in. This may be it though: We will stop spending and find true happiness within ourselves and with those we love.

- Lisa Keating, Ph.D., is a Carson City clinical psychologist.