Why Stuff Can’t Buy You Happiness

Every time you upgrade something, your phone, your wardrobe, your car, there’s that quick burst of happiness. But it fades fast. The phone feels outdated in a year, the car develops scratches, and the wardrobe needs another refresh. So we buy again. 

Psychologists call this…

The Hedonic Treadmill

Think of it like running on a treadmill. No matter how fast you go, you stay in the same spot. That’s how happiness from material things works. Each new purchase gives you a high, but then your mind resets, raising the bar for what counts as “enough.” Consequently, you’re working harder, spending more, and yet emotionally you’re still where you started.

The very thing meant to free you becomes another burden. 

• The car means loan EMIs, insurance reminders, and service appointments. 
• The house means maintenance bills and property taxes. 
• Even clothes become work: cleaning, storing, protecting from moths.

As Fight Club’s cult line put it, 👇

The treadmill keeps running because we’re wired to think more equals better. 

Psychologist Barry Schwartz referred to it as the Paradox of Choice. More choices and more possessions don’t simplify life; they complicate it. Instead of peace, we get anxiety: 

• Am I using this enough? 
• Did I pick the right one? 
• Should I upgrade again?

And this is where the treadmill speeds up, because the world around us is designed to keep us restless. Luxury brands, especially, have mastered this game, selling the idea of success. Watches, bags, sneakers, all signals, shortcuts to scream, "I’ve made it".

The Status Trap

Who’s really wearing flashy logos? Bill Gates? Ratan Tata? Radhakishan Damani? Nope! The truly wealthy don’t need a logo to prove anything. Ironically, it’s the hustlers, the influencers, the people trying hardest to impress who lean on brand names like lifelines.

As freeing as it may seem, luxury ties you tighter to the need for validation. Because once you buy one “statement” item, the pressure doubles. Now you have to keep up. 

The luxury pyramid doesn’t stop at entry-level brands. Every purchase subtly raises the bar: you move up a rung, and suddenly everything below feels “too basic.”

Think of the Lipstick Effect: once someone buys that high-end lipstick, they rarely go back to a cheaper one. It’s not about the product anymore as much as it’s about identity. The downgrade feels like a personal step down, so you stay trapped in the cycle. Same stuff, just with extra zeroes.

Status signalling is fragile because:

• If no one sees it, it “doesn’t count.”
• If they don’t clap, your self-worth feels negative.
• If they move on, you’re forgotten.

And that’s where minimalism becomes less of a design trend and more of a behavioural hack. 

The “Freedom in Subtraction”  Way Out

Minimalism is one way to step off the treadmill. To say (and mean it when you say it), “I don’t need an object or a logo to feel secure.”

If it’s for comfort, security, or genuine need, maybe it makes sense. But if it’s for signalling, validation, or filling an emotional gap, SUBSTRACT like you hit backspace on risky texts. Spend on an experience rather than a thing. Watch how quickly that sense of lightness kicks in. 

Trust us with this, stepping off the treadmill often feels more luxurious than running on it.