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No Stupid Questions

Why Do We Buy Things We Never Use? (Rebroadcast From Ep.22)

No Stupid Questions

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Society & Culture

4.63.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2021

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Also: why do we hoard? (Rebroadcast From Ep. 28)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi, NSC viewers.

0:04.1

Steve it is away this week, so we're replaying two of our favorite questions from the past.

0:09.1

We'll be back next week with a brand new episode for you.

0:12.3

In the meantime, enjoy these gems from the NSC archive.

0:16.0

What you're saying is chilling to me, but it's also deeply admirable.

0:21.0

Hi, I'm Angela Duckworth.

0:23.1

I'm Stephen Dovner, and you're listening to no stupid questions.

0:27.5

Today on the show,

0:29.1

why do we buy exercise equipment that will never use

0:32.6

and health food that will never eat?

0:34.8

Who am I?

0:35.6

I'm like Beyonce.

0:36.5

What would Beyonce do?

0:37.5

She would drink the sparkling water.

0:39.3

Also, is Stephen Dovner a hoarder?

0:42.5

Why can't you just call 1-800-GOT-Junk?

0:45.0

Even GOT-Junk doesn't want my junk.

0:51.0

So, Angela, I have a habit, and I suspect many other people do as well,

0:56.0

of acquiring, often by purchase, what I've come to think of as aspirational objects,

1:03.6

which is to say, I will buy stuff that I think I want,

1:07.8

or maybe more accurately that I would like to want,

1:10.9

but which, in fact, I'll never actually use.

...

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