When was the last time you bought something unnecessary? Something you didn’t need to keep yourself or those around you (or your cat) alive and in good health? Most people fall into one of two camps. They can either tell me exactly when it was (because it was extremely recently), or they stumble over an answer, unable to think of anything they’ve ever bought and didn’t need. This isn’t because they don’t spend frivolously, it’s actually because they’re less aware of their spending than those who quickly pinpoint their last wasted purchase.

See, we all buy things we don’t need regularly. It might be a new shirt, it might be a Big Mac, or it might be a new BMW when you know a used Toyota would work just as well. Deep down, each of those purchases is an attempt to fill a need in our life, it’s just usually not the right shape puzzle piece to get the job done.

Retail “Therapy”

Retail therapy. It’s in the American psyche. In fact, the shopping mall that’s been ubiquitous in every small town across America for generations is a largely American phenomenon (even if it’s being usurped by Amazon), and as long as the shopping mall has been around, so has retail therapy. You have a hard day at work, so you head to the mall. You walk around, pick up a pretzel. And a hat. And a new wallet. And a candle. Before you know it, a hard day at work just turned into a hard day on your wallet or, more likely, your credit card statement.

What’s really the point though? What do you truly accomplish by heading to the mall or your computer to peruse the aisles and find some deals? As it turns out, not that much. If you’re like me, you probably get a rush of dopamine when you find something you really like that’s both your size and on sale, so you buy it. How could you not? It makes you feel good at the moment, but you forget the longer-term effects.

You still have to go to work the next day, and that’s what drove you to the mall in the first place. You addressed the symptom of the problem, without addressing the problem itself. More than that, you spend money you didn’t need to on something you probably didn’t actually want deep down.

Hedonic Treadmill

“Desire hath no rest, is infinite in itself, endless, and as one calls it, a perpetual rack, or horse-mill.”

— St. Augustine

In 1971, the psychologists Philip Brickman and D.T. Campbell published an essay in which they coined the term Hedonic Treadmill to describe the exact same phenomenon that St. Augustine wrote about in the 4th century. As humans get used to something, it no longer brings us happiness. The shirt that brought you happiness when you found it on sale doesn’t make you as happy the 3rd time you wear it. Your favorite song stops making you happy the 5th or 6th time you listen to it on repeat. Put simply, happiness cannot be achieved externally, because you will always be looking for the next thing.

This Hedonic Treadmill has you constantly chasing after the next thing that will make you happy, unaware that you’re getting nowhere. You aren’t leveling up your happiness until you reach the top of the pyramid, you’re a hamster running on a wheel. You can run as fast as you want, you’ll never get anywhere. Worse, the wheel has been designed to make it hard to get off, to make you think you’re getting somewhere until they let you in on the secret at 65: you never went anywhere. Now that you’re off the wheel you’re too tired from running on it for your whole life to go to any of the places you were trying to reach all along.

The Hedonic Adaptation served our ancestors well, helping us to explore new lands, develop new technologies, and push even further in our quest for “happiness.” There is still a lot of good that can come from the uniquely human quest for more, but most people are fooled by the hedonic treadmill into working at a job they don’t enjoy to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like, all because they’re chasing happiness.

Money = Time

This is a concept that gets talked about a lot in the world of personal finance, and for good reason. Once you recognize that money is technically infinite (although not infinitely available at all times), and that time is the truly limited resource, you can begin to rethink your relationship to your money. Like Vicki Robin talks about in her book “Your Money Or Your Life,” (which I highly recommend everyone read) you are trading massive amounts of your life force, your time, for the money you earn. Think about how much time you have to give up for a particular purchase, not about how much money, and you’ll start to find the hedonic treadmill a lot less alluring.

It’s Better To Run Outside

I used to hate running. It was boring, it made my feet hurt, and it didn’t seem productive. I knew how important it was to keep up with cardio though, so I would begrudgingly head to the cardio deck at the gym and hop on the treadmill for half an hour of misery. Then, a few things changed. I replaced my running shoes to remove a lot of that foot pain, but I also made a far more important change: I started running outside. Suddenly I found myself running a lot farther, and I actually felt good about what I was doing.

Getting off the treadmill and getting outside helped me feel like I was actually being productive. I was getting somewhere. Sure, I would run essentially a circle and end up right where I had started, but I made progress. I ran through the trees and across streets and bridges. I got out and saw the world, not just the inside of the gym. The same is true for the Hedonic Treadmill. You can get off it and get outside and run after happiness in your actual life, not in your stuff. I promise it feels a lot more productive than staying in the same place.

Work Harder for Yourself

This one is tough. You come home after a hard day at work, and you’re tired. You just gave your all for 8 (hopefully) hours at a job you really don’t like. You worked hard, and you deserve a rest. But who really benefits from that work you do all day? Some people are really fulfilled by their jobs, they feel like they’re making an impact, and they are truly able to grow as a person during their 9 to 5. That’s fantastic, and I wish everyone’s job was like that. However, most of us need to make time for personal development and fulfillment outside of our jobs.

You should work just as hard for yourself as you do for your boss. Pick up a hobby you really enjoy and dive in, read books that challenge you, start a side-hustle if you want. You don’t have to spend 40 hours a week on it, and you probably shouldn’t. Whatever you do, remember that you are wired to constantly be growing, exploring, and evolving. New clothes and Netflix might feel good at the time, but they don’t help you develop as a person and achieve the happiness you’re after.

Match Your Spending to Your Hearthstones

My philosophy is all about identifying your Hearthstones and developing a plan to allow you to spend freely on those because that’s where happiness can be found. Your Hearthstones are the areas of your life that you really care about, and everyone has at least one. Maybe it’s family, or experiencing other cultures through travel, or decorating your space in a way that brings you peace.

It isn’t about living somebody else’s life, or what you think somebody else wants your life to be. It’s about identifying what your ideal version of your life is, and determining how you can make that happen as soon as possible. You work hard for your money. Stop spending it on things you won’t remember in 3 years.

Embrace Saying No

Getting off the Hedonic treadmill means saying no. A lot. You have to say no to all the offers that will jump out at you and try to pull you back in. No to your old habits as they resurface. No to opportunities that might be good, but aren’t aligned with your Hearthstones. Sometimes, you’ll slip up and say yes. In those times, don’t judge yourself for it. Simply move past it.

Every time you say no to something, remind yourself what you’re after. By remembering that you aren’t saying no, you’re saying yes to the better opportunity you’ll be able to afford because you got off the treadmill, that rejection of your past self will be a little bit easier.

Conclusion

We all spend money from time to time on things that won’t actually bring us fulfillment. By chasing the temporary high it brings us, we dig ourselves a little bit deeper into the hole that keeps us from experiencing a life we truly enjoy. So it’s time to jump off the Hedonic Treadmill, get outside, and start running towards a life of fulfillment, development, and excitement.

Spending Money Won't Make You Happy