The advertising industry bombards us with messages every day, telling us what we need to be happy. However, recent research by neuroscientists has shown that unhappy people tend to buy more unnecessary things than happy people. Professor Gerald Hüther, a neurobiologist at the University of Göttingen, has discovered that the pleasure center in our brains is activated when we make a purchase, and this feeling of happiness can mask our underlying dissatisfaction. This is why we often buy things we don’t really need, especially when we’re feeling stressed or unhappy.
In today’s world, it’s hard to keep up with the demands of daily life. Whether it’s pressure at school or work, or just the stress of modern living, many of us feel unhappy without even realizing it. Our brains try to compensate for this by seeking out pleasure, often in the form of material possessions. Advertisers are only too happy to help us in this quest, encouraging us to buy new shoes, phones, and other items that we don’t really need. The pleasure we feel when we make these purchases is only temporary, however, and it doesn’t really make us any happier in the long run.
According to Hüther, the key to breaking this cycle is to find positive experiences that are not linked to material possessions. This could be anything from taking a long walk to pursuing a hobby or spending time with loved ones. By focusing on these experiences, we can retrain our brains to seek out happiness in more meaningful ways, rather than relying on the temporary pleasure of buying things we don’t really need. Ultimately, this can lead to a more fulfilling and satisfying life, free from the constant pressure to consume.
