Does abundance kill creativity?
A gateway to satisfaction
Is it probable to design a happier life with less in it? In a time driven by consumption and milestones rather than destinations, perhaps not. But Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemu, otherwise known as ‘The Minimalists’ seem to believe so. In their Netflix documentary ‘Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things (2015)’ the two pals accompanied by architects, neuroscientists and sociologists put forth the case of how we can do more with less in today’s world— and even become 10% happier…
How much does a man need?
Firstly, let’s debunk the notion that by being a minimalist you are required to rid yourself of everything (and everyone) until you’re left alone with only the clothes on your back. It is in fact, to a degree, the inverse. Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution. It is in fact, to live with intention. Minimalism as a practice says Consumption is not the issue — compulsory consumption is.
In a 2010 study from Princeton University conducted by Economist Angus Deaton and psychologist Daniel Kahneman (author of Thinking Fast and Slow) there was evidence showing a positive relationship between happiness and income. “…the lower a person’s annual income falls below that benchmark, the unhappier he or she feels. But no matter how much more than $75,000 people make, they don’t report any greater degree of happiness.” So, I need $75,000 to be happy you may think? Not necessarily. According to a new study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life the satisfactory effect money has on your life is majorly dependent on the individual’s subjective view of money. Rachel Sherman, a professor of sociology at the New School and author of “Uneasy Street: The Anxieties of Affluence,” agreed. “I think what my research shows is people can have exactly the same amount of money and feel totally different about whether it’s enough for what they want to buy and enough to feel secure,” she says. How we identify success dictates all, which brings into focus happiness and successful materialism.
Buying into “happiness materialism” — the belief that wealth is an indicator of a happy life — tends to be problematic because it takes “much time, energy and money away from other life domains that make an important and positive contribution to present life satisfaction,” such as family, work and health, the study authors wrote. However, researchers believe focusing on “success materialism” — the idea that wealth signifies success — enhances people’s “economic motivation,” or their drive to work and improve their standard of living. Thinking about success through the latter lens could make individuals more satisfied with their present lives and hopeful about the future. This still does not absolve us from ‘The Rat Race.’
How much does a man need?
The concept of Minimalism presents the tension of what are our wants vs. what are our needs? A sorting mechanism for which was excellently captured by Professor Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Maslow’s original ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ comprises of a five-tier model of human needs, depicted below.
From bottom to top, Maslow represents how we psychologically prioritise our requirements for survival — this is not to say that our identified deficit at each level must be achieved prior to moving to the next and cannot be revisited but it should be more less achieved rendering itself salient. As Maslow puts it “...it is quite true that man lives by bread alone — when there is no bread. But what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically filled? At once other (and “higher”) needs emerge and these, rather than physiological hungers, dominate the organism. And when these in turn are satisfied, again new (and still “higher”) needs emerge and so on. This is what we mean by saying that the basic human needs are organized into a hierarchy of relative prepotency.” What The Minimalists have identified is a means of not rising by self-destruction and the practice begins to kick in around psychological needs, particularly esteem — the feeling of prestige.
Less is more
Minimalism isn’t a concept limited to tangibles, in recent years the topic of digital minimalism is coming to the forefront regarding the way in which we use our products — but that’s an assessment for another day. In Patrick Rhones’ book Enough, he tidily lays out how we can go about our selection process:
- What problem does this solve?
- How little can I get away with?
- Where does this belong?
I once had a conversation with a friend at university who challenged my ambitions by saying ‘people aren’t longing for happiness, they’re seeking to be content.’ Minimalism at least seems to agree with his approach to life and it also makes the poignant truth that we should love people and use things.
