Consumerism and Happiness

Happiness is a universal concept and way of living that is people strive for all around the world. It is the reason that we keep living and why we get up in the morning. Happiness is described in different ways all around the world and the Western perspective on happiness is a unique one in that in recent decades it have become very closely aligned to and draws from consumerism. In our capitalist society in which we are constantly assaulted by advertisements hundreds, even thousands of times a day, happiness has changed from a feeling and a way of living derived from experiences to something that is commodified and can be sold and most importantly bought. 

Advertising has transformed from selling products that were bought because of their usefulness to selling products that provide you with a sense of happiness. From cars to wedding rings to even something seemingly as insignificant as a soft drink; these products are sold as part of a happy lifestyle. To exemplify this, take the current slogan of Coke, “Open Happiness” which is plastered on billboards and every type of advertisement imaginable until the consumer subconsciously believes that when you drink a Coke you are not just quenching your thirst but are drinking happiness.

The most difficult part of this is that it these types of advertisements have become ingrained in our brains and our subconsciouses where this type of emotion with products is natural. We need to separate our love affair with products and the proposed happiness that we expect from them and begin to look for real and lasting forms of happiness that cannot be bought. This is, of course, not easy to do, but maybe if advertisements were controlled more and we could see less advertisements per day we would not have these messages constantly drilled into our minds. An example would be a state like Vermont that has banned the use of billboards entirely. By decreasing the amount of advertisements that we see each day, instead of being told how to attain happiness, we could have the time to think about it and maybe actually find it.