Joshua Becker defines minimalism as “the intentional promotion of the things I most value and the removal of everything that distracts me from it.” In his writing and speaking, he has come to believe that simplicity leads to joy and so appeals to our hearts. Our hearts know the truth, Becker suggests; that possessions don’t… Continue reading How Simplicity Appeals to the Heart
Category: Money Psychology
Let’s Not Be Too Hasty: Part 2
Decision Fatigue: Tales and Tips on How to Avoid It In the first part of this blog post, we looked at the compelling evidence behind decision fatigue, that previously unrecognized effect that renders us less and less capable of sensible decisions as we make more and more of them. Self control, we noted, turns out… Continue reading Let’s Not Be Too Hasty: Part 2
Let’s Not Be Too Hasty
Decision Fatigue: The more decisions we make, the less sound they are In a fascinating article in The New York Times (Aug 17, 2011), John Tierney examines the solid experimental work behind the emerging concept of “decision fatigue,” a powerful, demonstrable, and previously unrecognized effect that renders us less and less capable of sensible decisions… Continue reading Let’s Not Be Too Hasty
Shop ‘til You Drop: The Crisis of Consumerism
The Media Education Foundation’s film Shop ‘Til You Drop: The Crisis of Consumerism is a refreshingly contemporary and interdisciplinary peek into the machinery of American consumerism and advertising. Though it sees no end in sight to our appetite for overconsumption, it documents an end to the capacity of our planet, with its limited resources, to… Continue reading Shop ‘til You Drop: The Crisis of Consumerism
Danshari: Ditching Materialism for the Simple Life
Michael Hoffman, in an interesting new article in The Japan Times Online, describes danshari, a lifestyle idea that complements three other stuff-minimal concepts, voluntary simplicity, wabi sabi, and true wealth. Voluntary simplicity, you may recall, has origins in the 19th century and calls into question the values of material wealth and status; it focuses instead… Continue reading Danshari: Ditching Materialism for the Simple Life
Crazy About Money: How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices And What To Do About It
Dr. Maggie Baker’s new book, Crazy About Money: How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices And What To Do About It, offers a comprehensive look at our complex and variable relationship with money throughout the course of our lives. Although we tend to view money as an autonomous component of our daily life, Dr. Baker stresses… Continue reading Crazy About Money: How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices And What To Do About It
Have a Good-Not a Goods-Holiday: The good life comes from doing, not having
With the holiday season upon us (and retailers lathered up for it), I want to remind us all (as I remind myself): a good holiday doesn’t have to be a goods holiday. And this year, in spite of the massive sales machine that grinds 24/7 from now until Christmas, it’s a little easier to live… Continue reading Have a Good-Not a Goods-Holiday: The good life comes from doing, not having
Takeaways from the Rebound and Recover Panel at the Texas Conference for Women
On November 10th, I was a member of the personal finance panel at the Texas Conference for Women in Houston. The panel, Rebound and Recover: Strategies for Emerging from the Recession and Taking Control of Your Finances, definitely delivered on the promise of giving the audience members practical skills and tools and I was delighted… Continue reading Takeaways from the Rebound and Recover Panel at the Texas Conference for Women
Money Buys Unhappiness
In a new study, published in the current issue of Psychological Science, Jordi Quoidbach and three colleagues demonstrate that money—even the thought of it—undermines life’s simple pleasures. Specifically, the authors found that wealthier people were less able than poorer ones to savor, to enhance and prolong positive emotional feelings such as joy, awe, excitement, contentment,… Continue reading Money Buys Unhappiness
U-Haul? She-Haul, Me-Haul: The Newest Shopping Temptation
I’m scratching my head about—and steeling myself for the potential fallout from—a new internet phenomenon, the “Haul Video,” examples of which are popping up on YouTube like mushrooms after a rain. For the past several months, teenage girls and young adult women have been creating video narratives of their latest shopping caches. The vlogger (video… Continue reading U-Haul? She-Haul, Me-Haul: The Newest Shopping Temptation