The dictionary definition of happiness is, “a state of well-being or contentment” or “a pleasurable or satisfying experience”. Although those may be official definitions, it is often different in real life. In modern advertising, new products and/or name brand products are presented in a way that makes us feel as if always buying those products will make us happy and give us better lives. While it can be true that purchasing the newest or most luxurious item on the market can initially boost happiness, modern day materialism, fueled by advertising and the idea that there is always room for improvement, is taking a toll on our society by placing the next big thing on a pedestal and making true, self-sustaining happiness seem out of reach. In simple terms, materialism is to be obsessed with material objects and consuming them, usually in attempt to make others (or yourself) believe that you have a certain personality or live a certain lifestyle that is luxurious. The brutal cycle of materialism is: becoming bored with what you have, comparing it to what others (people around you or people …show more content…
We know that we will be judged based on the car we drive, the clothes we buy, perfume/cologne we wear, house we live in, etc. more than things like if we are kind-hearted or genuinely good people with a strong sense of being and steady relationships with others. We place such high importance on what we consume because it is a way that we can control how others perceive us and how we feel about ourselves. Materialists rarely purchase an item for the item itself…they usually “are more interested in consuming aura than objects, sizzle than steak, [and] meaning than material” and “actively seek and enjoy the status that surrounds the object” (Twitchell). The growing idea and popularity of materialism comes at a high price to us in more ways than