The Negative Effects of Consumerism on Our Mental Health

The story of our lives can be told by the various objects around us that we treasure. This isn’t all there is to us, to be sure, but it can say plenty about us. We have cherished books, furniture inherited from a beloved relative, sneakers or shoes that have their own shelves in a closet, pictures in frames that tell of treasured memories with loved ones, trinkets that are prominently displayed on the mantlepiece, and so much more.

The things we own and treasure say a lot about us, but they can never tell the full story. Nor should they. Carl R. Trueman notes that when we become over-attached to our material goods and possessions to the point that our sense of meaning or worth is determined by them, we are caught up in consumerism. Consumerism can affect us in many ways, including our mental and emotional health.

Living in a Consumer Society

Our society is the most affluent in human history. That affluence may not be evenly distributed, but we’re living in a country where we can acquire goods and services cheaply, and things can be easily discarded, and new things obtained. Each year, there is a new iteration of some gadget or product, and the incessant message is that the new one is better, and you’re missing out if you still have the older version. Upgrade now!

It’s made easy to simply “upgrade” to the new thing; incentives are offered, whether it’s trade-ins or some discount offered to draw you in. If it’s not that, with things like fast fashion, you can get items that are cheaply made and don’t cost much to buy. It’s easy to lean into the “buy two and get the third one free”, because why not? And because it’s so cheap to get, it’s also easy to replace it when it stops looking aesthetically pleasing or even tears slightly.

American society is a consumer society, one whose ongoing functionality is predicated on the idea of buying and selling goods and services. It’s remarkable when you consider how holidays somehow become opportunities to shop and get deals on technology or anything else under the sun. Our lives almost look like an ongoing cycle of working, buying, selling, enjoying, discarding, and then rinse and repeat.

The reality of how our society functions and the values it espouses can then lead to what was mentioned above – being too attached to the stuff we own and starting to define ourselves and our worth by that shallow metric. The more we own, the better we feel about ourselves, especially if what we own is of higher quality than average, cutting edge, and exclusive or highly desired. Not only do we measure ourselves this way, but we also weigh others by the same measure.

How Consumerism Affects One’s Mental Health

What is the worth of a human being? Can it in any way be quantified or easily measured? There are many ways to try and measure the worth of a human life, but one thing that Jesus said is that what we own doesn’t add up to who and what we are. He said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, ESV).

One way to look at our stuff is to consider the story we tell ourselves about what we are acquiring and why. The story in your head might go something like this: “This thing looks interesting and helpful to me. I can see how it could make my life easier, how it’ll help me fit in or stand out better. I should get it. I must get it, and I need it.” It’s easy to move from wanting something to desperately needing it and justifying its importance.

Jesus then went on to tell the parable of the rich fool, who accumulated many goods, but before he could enjoy them, his life ends abruptly, and the things he prepared for himself were enjoyed by someone else (Luke 12:16-21). The idea Jesus was conveying is that basing our lives on self-gratification is a fool’s errand. Real life is not measured by how much we own, because things don’t last forever.

When we hitch our wagons to the idea that our stuff gives us everything that we need and that all we need to think about is the here and now, we forget to put God at the center of our lives. What matters more than anything else, the true source of life, happiness, and fulfillment, is God Himself. If we attempt to place anything else at the center of who we are and how we see ourselves, we are inviting deep anxiety, anger, distress, and stress into our lives.

The things we own can end up taking an undeserved place of prominence in our lives. Pastor and author Tim Keller put it this way “If we look to some created thing to give us the meaning, hope, and happiness that only God himself can give, it will eventually fail to deliver and break our hearts.” We were created by God and for God, and anything else we try to put in His place will only disappoint us.

Not only will it disappoint us but pursuing it can end up hurting you and others around you. Paul wrote these words to a young pastor named Timothy, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10, NIV). We can find ourselves pursuing money because money is the path to being able to get more stuff, but that path leads to harm.

The way that harm can manifest itself in your life is varied. You can damage your relationships with others. How many fights do people have over things, in which it seems as though a thing is more important than the other person? To quote Tim Keller again, he wrote that, “An idolatrous attachment can lead you to break any promise, rationalize any indiscretion, or betray any other allegiance, in order to hold on to it. It may drive you to violate all good and proper boundaries. To practice idolatry is to be a slave.”

Consumerism can affect your relationships, especially if you begin to value things above others. You can experience stress and anxiety in acquiring and attempting to keep the things you own. That anxiety is never-ending because, as Trueman points out, the idea behind consumerism is that your life can be fulfilling only as you acquire more things tomorrow that you don’t possess today. That means you’re caught in an endless cycle of acquisition that never fully satisfies your deepest longings.

Dealing With Consumerism in Your Life

Acquiring things to bolster your sense of self is an endless and fruitless endeavor because we were made by and for an infinite God. Our hearts were built to love, but when we love certain things that are detrimental to us it affects our well-being. We need to wean ourselves from the sort of thinking that ties value and worth to the possession of things.

Part of the work that needs to happen is disrupting the patterns of thought that associate having things with being a person of substance or value. Sometimes, we acquire things as a form of entertainment or to soothe painful feelings and experiences. Retail therapy can stand in as an easy but poor substitute for addressing the relationship and other issues that concern you and are affecting you.

You can walk alongside a trained, licensed counselor to help you address any issues that may have arisen in your life as a result of making the acquisition of things paramount. Your counselor can walk with you as you develop a deeper sense of self-worth that isn’t tied to what you own, and they can help you as you rebuild relationships that may have been damaged by unhealthy habits.