I NEED a New Gadget: The Diderot Effect

I just got back from a business Trip to Amsterdam, and on the way back I was browsing the duty free shop as we all do when traveling. And all of a sudden there it was… the latest Smart Watch by Samsung. I felt the deep urge to own it, I just had to have it no matter what. So there I was making excuses for myself on why I should buy it right now. Well, first of all it was 20 Euros cheaper than at home, at home it also wasn’t available right away I would have had to wait a week or two (how horrible :D). Well the guarantee was International too and also all the professionals at the exhibition I just returned from where wearing a Smartwatch too.

I just caught myself making more and more excuses to buy this new Gadget. Did I really need a Smartwatch? Of course not. Did I consider my financials at this point? Nope. It was as if nothing mattered more than getting this toy and it would make me feel so much better.

The Diderot Effect

What I experienced is something we all experience from time to time. An effect called the Diderot Effect. Denis Diderot was a french Philosopher who lived in poverty most of his life. However he was the co-founder and writer of the Encyclopédie (Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts) and when Catherine the Great of Russia heard of Diderot’s financial crisis she offered him an Annual Salary of 1000.00 French Livre for his work and even paid him 25 years in advance. 1000 Livre in 1750 was the annually salary of a high ranking official. Denis Diderot found himself literally from Rags to Riches.

With his new wealth, Diderot decided to get a brand new gown but finds soon enough that his new gown puts all his other belongings to shame. So Diderot goes on a shopping spree which finally once more lands him in financial dire straits.

The psychology behind this behavior is based on a sense of identity that connects us with our belongings. Somehow we define who we are by the things we own. Now if we buy something new that does not fit our current identity we tend to change more belongings that eventually will give us a new identity. This eventually sends us into Spiral Consumption, driving us to spend more and more money on more and more things we don’t really need.

Overcoming the Diderot Effect

Overcoming the Diderot effect is not easy, it is as if the urge is a constant drive embedded into our DNA. A constant nagging in the back of your head that doesn’t stop until you finally gave in and made the purchase. However just like any drug high there is a low. And Spiral Consumption is really not that different from any Drug Addiction. Here are some steps that might help you overcome the Diderot Effect:

• Be realistic and truthful with yourself. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself of how much you need those new shoes or the new phone if you really listen to yourself you will know the truth. Try to convince yourself with an unbiased mind. Weigh the real needs of your decision not the influence you exert on yourself.
• Ask a friend that will tell you the truth. If you don’t trust yourself ask a Friend who you know will tell you the truth. Someone who is not afraid to confront you when you are about to screw up.
• Don’t make hasty decisions. Before you make a purchase let it rest with yourself for a few days. Once the initial excitement is over it will be easier to make an unbiased decision.
• Think of the things you bought in the past that are now obsolete. We all have clothes, gadgets and other things lying around that we don’t use and are just collecting dust. Let those items be a strong reminder of the Diderot Effect.
• Consider your Financials. Can you really spend that money at the moment? Don’t put yourself in a difficult position

We all get things we don’t need and it usually makes us feel worse after we made the purchase. Buying something is just a short term high that later sends us on a low and we rinse and repeat without even realizing the reasons behind our behavior. I hope my article will be at least a little help for anyone who tries to overcome the Diderot Effect and I am sure you will soon realize the influences of this powerful social force that shapes our lives on a daily basis.

And to close the post, I did not buy the Smart Watch 🙂