According to a recent study, advertising makes us unhappy.
This was the conclusion of a recent study that included 900,000 citizens of 27 European countries from 1980 – 2011. Whoa, that’s quite a study! You can read more of the methodology in the Harvard Business Review.
The results don’t surprise me—and probably don’t surprise you either. At the heart of every advertising message is a message that we are not as happy as we could be without their product in our lives. This item will lead to a happier, easier, more convenient, or more luxurious life.
Every advertisement seeks to stir up discontent and convince us that we are not as happy as we could be. No doubt then, that there would be some correlation between levels of unhappiness and frequency of advertisements that we see. You can read more in the article linked above.
Personally, I’m interested in a different conversation. If advertisements contribute to our unhappiness, how can we avoid them? What practical steps can we take in our everyday lives to remove ourselves from their constant barrage?
At one extreme, we could remove ourselves from civilization altogether. We could find a quiet cabin in the woods or on Walden Pond and never interact with anyone else.
That life might appeal to some, but not me. I like people, I like my neighborhood, and I like being involved in society. I enjoy social gatherings, my son’s soccer games, and hosting a small group in my home on Sunday nights. I could remove myself from civilization entirely, but that is not how I want to live.
Given the fact that I (along with many of you) will continue to live in the middle of a consumerist society, what steps can we take to limit the number of advertisements that we see? And ultimately increase our happiness because of it.
Here are a few ideas:
1. Do more things that make you forget to check your phone. By this, I mean, engage in more and more activites where you cannot be reached by advertisers. Play more board games with your family, spend more time in nature, read more books, or go play catch with your son in the backyard. When we get more involved with people or adventures, we see fewer advertisements.
2. Watch less television. Television is an entire medium based on the presumption that we can be manipulated into purchasing items advertised on the screen. It is true that streaming services have changed the industry quite a bit and you may believe that you are not being subjected to advertisements anymore. But I’d argue that’s not the case. Streaming services are still selling you something… even if it’s just on more and more of their streaming service. Spending less time on social media would have the same effect as watching less television.
3. Unsubscribe from email newsletters, magazines, and junk mail lists. One of the most proactive steps you can take today to reduce the number of advertisements you see is unsubscribe from email newsletters. At the bottom of every email newsletter you receive, you will find a “Click to unsubscribe” link. At first, going through this process may seem like a daunting task and never-ending battle. But just start clicking with each new email that arrives. You will be surprised how quickly they slow down and how quickly you’re able to get ahead of them. And while you’re at it, unsubscribe from ad-filled magazines and junk mail. Here’s some advice from Harvard on how to do that.
4. Go shopping less. Shopping is an interesting activity when you think about it. We are marketed to relentlessly outside of stores in order to get us inside. Once inside, we are subjected to even more advertisements and marketing messages. Spend less time at malls and department stores and you’ll see fewer advertisements. Equally so and maybe more important these days, spend less time at digital stores too.
5. Configure your computer to block pop-up ads. There are no fool-proof methods for blocking advertisements on your computer, but there are some reasonable steps you can take to limit the number you see. Here are some ideas for Mac users and some ideas for Windows users.
6. Don’t ignore ads, see through them instead. There is a tendency among all of us to think that advertisements don’t influence us. We foolishly believe we are unaffected by them. Or we assume if we aren’t paying attention, they are not influencing our thoughts. But the better approach, rather than ignoring ads, is to see through them instead. See through the false promises that they offer—that their product will help you get the girl, be the life of the party, or become the envy of the neighborhood. The more you recognize how a brand is trying to subtly stir up discontent in your life, the less likely they are to succeed.
The fewer advertisements we see, the happier we are. Which, by the way, may be one of the reasons you enjoy Becoming Minimalist so much (no ads).
It is likely impossible for you to remove every advertisement from your everyday life, but there are certainly positive steps we can take to limit them—and become happier because of it.
Avital says
I am 24. I remember when YouTube used to have advertisements that were small text on the bottom that were closable. I was comfortable for about a decade, using ad-blockers. Now YouTube is becoming unwatchable and no ad-blockers work, forcing me to start and end most videos with a full-screen advertisement! Is this not TV?! I cannot believe how oversaturated with ads the entire internet has become. Sorry to complain here. Thank you for teh article. It can be so difficult to run away from ads and the awful feeling of being bought and sold…….I long for a new generation of the internet that doesn’t have sponsorships all over it.
Norea Joy says
Regarding YouTube Ads: try Brave Browser with its built-in Ad stopper. Never saw ads on YouTube. As soon as there are more technical possibilities fir ads there are also ways to avoid them. You have to stay updated.
Jessica says
I think the ads on YouTube, Amazon, and other platforms are tolerable. However, the issue arises when they continue to appear even after unsubscribing from emails and other sources. Instead of setting up channels for yourself, I can suggest some other options that you may prefer. Additionally, when it comes to watching things online, it’s better to step away from the political side to avoid any biases.
Michael Figueroa says
This bombardment of medical ads on regular TV programming on almost every channel is tantamount to harassment being driven by greed by these so called medical advertisers.and it’s very annoying. I may have to cancel my cable subscription.
R. Smith says
I’ve noticed how advertisements have crept into broadcasts disguised as ‘news’ articles.
mubydram says
Yeah, I really hate that. Local broadcast stations are the worst offenders- “Chick-Fil-A unveils new fall menu” and all the stupid headlines about their “sandwich wars.”
Jessica says
During the 2020 shutdown I remember lying on my floor thinking I should use the time wisely. “What is something I haven’t had time for?” and I thought: I wish I had more time to read. I figured it was a good opportunity to trade one bad habit for a healthier habit; so, I decided to cancel all of my television streaming services. Every time I had the urge to watch television, I opened a book. Little did I realize how much it would reduce my anxiety from the lack of advertisements in my face, noice in the background, and desensitization to ad manipulation.
I read 53 books in 2020.
Now, I noticed how distracted, stressed, and addicted other people are to their phones, laptops, television, and shopping. I once met a new girl friend and she couldn’t stay on topic for more than 15 seconds. I can’t believe how many friends claim they are ADD/ ADHD, incompetent, or just plain low self-esteem thinking their are broken or dealt a bad hand in life. I just roll my eyes and say ” I think you just need peace in your life.” (if I say anything at all). Of course they usually rebuttal “Absolutely! In a perfect world, that is.”
Anything to deny is their own fault, of course.
“It’s not social media, television, or the advertisers. It’s you having the lack of self-control.”
” Why do women choose to strip?” “Because the men will happily pay them.” – People choose to reward their lack of self-control.
Lew says
At least with Comcast you can mute the sound and put the channel guide on instead of seeing the ad…….I noticed on certain streaming sites, they have started “closed captioning” on their crap……I can’t block it so I have to look away or close my eyes until all the blinking camera shots come to an end……It is NOT my duty to watch or buy the ‘products’ the advertisers want me to. I was 12 years old in 1963 when I made a wired speaker switch to kill the sound…..I have been muting the ads ever since……I hate when I am somewhere else and have to hear something I have blocked for a long time and now I ‘know’ what it is.
Sharon jepkemboi says
Stop
Mark says
Thank you Joshua, so relevant. HBR is one of the review I have followed for years.