Stuffocation : why we've had enough of stuff and need experience more than ever
Title:
Stuffocation : why we've had enough of stuff and need experience more than ever
Author:
ISBN:
9780812997590
Edition:
First U.S. edition.
Physical Description:
xxxiii, 281 pages ; 25 cm
General Note:
Originally published: United Kingdom : Crux Publishing, 2013, and subsequently in paperback by Penguin Books Ltd. in 2015.
Contents:
We've had enough of stuff -- The problem : stuffocation. The anthropologist and the clutter crisis ; The dark side of materialism -- How we got here : the origins of throwaway culture. The original Mad Men and the job of creating desire ; Barbra Streisand and the law of unintended consequences -- The crossroads : signposts to a better future. I love to count: the 33, 47, 69, and 100 things of minimalism ; The simple life and the cage-free family ; The medium chill -- The road ahead: the rise of the experientialists. To do or to have? That is no longer a question ; The experientialists ; Facebook changed how we keep up with the Joneses ; We love to count too : the new way to measure progress ; What about the Chinese? ; The gypsy, the wasp, and the experience economy ; Can you be an experientialist and still love stuff? -- Why you need experience more than ever.
Summary:
"For many of us, our possessions and the lifestyle that goes along with them are causing more stress than happiness--otherwise known as 'keeping up with the Joneses' or what Alain de Botton calls 'status anxiety.' But James Wallman argues that we are approaching a tipping point with regard to materialism. People are turning away from the endless drive to consume in favor of a simpler, more streamlined way of living ... He interviews anthropologists studying the 21st century clutter crisis, consults with scientists who have linked 'stuffocation' to rising cortisol levels and declining psychological well-being, and introduces us to the innovators who are already choosing 'experience' over 'stuff'"-- Provided by publisher.