88) Why we're wired to want more stuff and the psychology of materialism with Tim Kasser PhD

Green Dreamer: Seeding change towards collective healing, sustainability, regeneration

kaméa chayne

Nature, Alternative Health, Society & Culture, Philosophy, Health & Fitness, Science

4.9 • 661 Ratings

🗓️ 22 November 2018

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why are we wired to be drawn to new things constantly and feel a sense of security (at least in the short term) from the accumulation of more stuff? Why should the psychology of materialism actually make us hopeful about our abilities to work towards a less materialistic and more sustainable future?

Sharing his expertise with us here is Dr. Tim Kasser, a psychology professor at Knox College in Illinois who's written over 100 scientific articles and chapters on materialism, values, ecological sustainability, quality of life, and more. He shared his expertise on the notable documentary, The True Cost, and has also authored five books, including his most recent one, Hypercapitalism.

Let's dive in.

HIGHLIGHTS

[10:31] Kaméa: "What influences how materialistic someone is?"

[15:49] Tim explains why we may innately want the latest and greatest things.

[19:21] Tim discusses the problem with our current social, political, and economic system and how it does everything it can to encourage people to consume.

[20:36] Kaméa: "Since it wasn't always this way, what about our world has changed in order to encourage mindless materialism?"

[23:57] How ad-blocking, mindfulness, and the "value pie" can make a huge impact in our materialism and wellbeing.

[28:48] Tim discusses the motivation and message of his newest cartoon book, Hypercapitalism.

[30:51] Kaméa: "What do you think we need most today in order to collectively redefine what it means to live well so that we can actually accelerate toward better life quality and a sustainable planet?"

Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/88, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, this is your host, Kamea. I hope you had a restful holiday season and that your start to this new year has been all of the things that you might need during this time.
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1:09.8	And so part of why the world's so messed up is because the more that people and societies
1:14.7	care about money, the less they're going to care about those intrinsic values.
1:18.9	And that's why we have an economic system which leads to such inequality, which leads
1:24.6	to such ecological degradation and which is so and which is so soul-sapping.
1:31.7	Where are we wired to be drawn to new things constantly and novelty, and also feel a sense
1:39.0	of security, at least in the short term, from the accumulation of more stuff?
1:44.3	Why should the psychology of materialism actually make us hopeful about our abilities to work
1:50.0	towards a less materialistic and more sustainable future?
1:54.3	That's just the tip of the iceberg of what you'll hear today.
1:57.4	To receive weekly highlights from the podcast that can hopefully provide you with another
2:01.2	dose of inspiration, you can subscribe for free at greendreamer.com. With that, to thank you for being
	...

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