Over the years, there has been an extensive amount of research put into the effects money has on our happiness. People from all across the world, especially the United States, would become ecstatic after hearing from their boss that they have earned a promotion, that would increase their salary. This is because many assume that the more money they have, the more likely they will be happy. This mindset isn’t our fault; it’s the fault of our materialistic society. For example, the media and advertising teach us that we need to have certain things to “fit in”. The way we can attain those things, whether it’s a name brand purse, or a younger-looking face, is by spending money. However, does this kind of expenditure create true happiness? Unfortunately, it doesn’t. This is why minimalism is the way to go. According to Joshua Becker, minimalism is “the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.” Minimalists eliminate the things that create needless complications in their lives. Many of the things we store in our homes are rarely used, if ever. They don’t give our lives meaning. Therefore, by having a minimalist lifestyle, one can achieve true happiness by having more time to develop relationships, more money to spend on meaningful experiences, and less mental clutter.
One contributing factor to a lack of happiness is a lack of time. People feel as though they don’t have a sufficient amount of time to spend on developing relationships, which is necessary for our psychological well-being. This phenomenon, better known as “time famine”, doesn’t only apply to the lower and middle class, it’s also applicable to the wealthy. “In one survey, 80 percent of working adults—both with and without children—wished that they had more time to spend with their friends and family” (Whillans 1). Although some of these working adults don’t have the choice of not working as much because of financial reasons, many do have the choice of working less. However, they choose to earn extra money because they value it excessively. These individuals, known as materialists, live to work because they want “money and material goods more than [they] want other things, such as love or leisure time” (Diener 172). Ironically, the need for more money and material goods interferes with people’s mission of achieving true happiness. Minimalists avoid falling into this trap of overworking because they don’t have as much of a need for money. To these individuals, working is necessary to the extent that it allows them to live a meaningful life with what’s deemed as valuable. Therefore, they wouldn’t want to put themselves under the pressure and responsibility that a promotion entails just for a higher income. Moreover, minimalists spend less time doing house chores because they have less stuff inside their homes to take care of. The extra time, that would normally be spent on chores, could be spent with loved ones.
Another benefit of minimalism is that it gives people the opportunity to spend their money on creating meaningful experiences that make them happier. Since minimalists don’t spend their money on excess material goods, that can be distracting and lack meaning, they have the opportunity to spend it on activities. “People at every level of income can choose to direct their spending in ways that take them closer to happiness—or not” (Rubin 171). In the July chapter, Gretchen Rubin shared a few ways in which she used her money to create greater happiness in her life. Among many things, Rubin decided to spend her money on improving her health and energy. By attending expensive strength-training workouts and spending more on healthy food, Rubin’s life became filled with good pastimes that made her life better both physically and mentally.
I have experienced this first hand in my own life. For instance, I feel a lot happier after going to the gym or going biking rather than going to the mall to shop. A top that I purchase because it’s in style is satisfying for a short time period, but soon enough it gets thrown to the back of my closet. Dr. Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, asserts that “we buy things to make us happy, and we succeed. But only for a while. New things are exciting to us at first, but then we adapt to them” (Cassano 1). Therefore, most of the items we purchase on a daily basis don’t really make us happier. On the contrary, experiences last us an entire lifetime and they make us happier because they help represent our passions and purpose in life.
Aside from having spare time and money, minimalism allows individuals to think more clearly because their surroundings are less cluttered with objects. Excessive amounts of clutter can have a negative effect on a person’s ability to focus and process information. Whenever my desk is messy or my bed isn’t done, I have trouble concentrating on my tasks. Before I can complete my tasks, I must make sure my room is neat and organized. Neuroscientists at Princeton University analyzed people’s performance on various chores in two different environments. One environment was organized while the other was disorganized. They discovered that people perform better in organized environments because “physical clutter in your surroundings competes for your attention, resulting in decreased performance and increased stress” (Cho 1). Furthermore, clutter doesn’t necessarily have to be physical. Clutter can be an overwhelming amount of email notifications. More clutter means more responsibility, which creates more stress in life. Excessive stress interferes with people’s happiness and well-being.
In “Living with Less. A Lot Less”, Graham Hill asserts that “somehow this stuff ended up running my life, or a lot of it; the things I consumed ended up consuming me” (Hill 308). Once Hill adopted a minimalist lifestyle, by giving up all of his inessential things—like his gadgets—and moving into a 420-square-foot space, he was able to live a happier life because he didn’t have as many responsibilities. However, I would like to point out that everyone has their own circumstances. For example, a family of six couldn’t possibly move into a home that’s the same size as Hill’s. In fact, a 420-square-foot space might just clutter their life even more. They would possibly need a 1,500 square-foot space to live a minimalist lifestyle—with children.
Critics might argue that minimalism is just a trend that has attracted people of all socioeconomic standing, especially the wealthy. However, these critics don’t understand the true purpose of minimalism and its amazing benefits. No matter what the situation, there will always be a handful who will do things just to feel trendy or fashion-forward. Therefore, we can say that almost anything is trendy. Nonetheless, is it really more likely for people to live a minimalist lifestyle just to “fit in” when they can “fit in” by living lavishly like many others? In actuality, the majority of people who have adopted a minimalist lifestyle have done so because they’re genuinely interested in benefiting from it. They want to achieve emotional, financial and physical freedom, which will ultimately lead to true happiness. To put it another way, minimalism isn’t just a trend because happiness isn’t a trend. Happiness has been a topic of interest ever since the ancient philosophers. Epicurus claimed, “we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything, and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed toward attaining it” (Rubin 14).
Minimalism—the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it—enables individuals to have more time to develop relationships, more money to spend on meaningful experiences, and less mental clutter. Relationships increase feelings of unity and belongingness. Experiences allow people to discover their passions and purpose in life. Lastly, less mental clutter reduces stress triggered by inessential things in our environment. All three of these consequences help people achieve true happiness. Many items we desire are wanted because society labels them as “necessities” one must have in order to be happy. However, these material goods are filling in the void people have in other aspects of their lives. In fact, by having less stuff and less space individuals can have a bigger and more purposeful life. Personal anecdotes, like Gretchen Rubin’s and Graham Hill’s, give us hope that we can change our own lives for the better by adopting a minimalist lifestyle.
