Ways to counter negative effects of materialism

So, what are possible solutions to reverse the negative impact that materialism has on Americans nowadays? While BBC’s report on affluenza leaves space for debate on the issue, both Tim Kasser’s video and Shanzeh Khurram’s article offer some alternatives.

In the following section, we present some important aspects to consider when you suggest counter actions to the materialistic development in The United States of America.

Treating causes, not symptoms

First of all, the best solutions come from treating the causes of the problems instead of only treating the symptoms:

As Kasser shows, people are more inclined towards materialistic goals when they feel insecure and have low self-esteem (2:40). In this case, they will try to compensate for negative emotions by spending money on things.

However, since this only leads to additional negative feelings, a solution would be to spend more quality time in nature and with loved ones.

Also, other research shows that practising gratitude for the things y...