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.
Geneva L Fetter says
Thrilled to find same thinkers as me. Born in 1955 into a middle class family I’ve been bombarded with corporate driven tv/media that try’s to exemplify how I could look, taste and feel about myself.
Down to the the schoolroom food pyramid. I curse the day school systems had to sell out to major corporate franchises to sell food to kids. Advertising to kids in the schoolroom.
Who is really running the country? The corporations are, and not to be a downer but we all know that several consecutive disasters will bring down all of it.
I try not to think about that, I try to be a minimalist.
Bill R says
Someone said about ads in big city could give you a panic attack. I agree. It definitely can overwhelming. That’s why my wife has never wanted to go to Las Vegas, nor to New York for New Year!
amy says
YES, absolutely agree. One of the reason that i like your blog is because there is no advertisement and i can read through the passages very focus.
Laurie says
My man and I laugh at the commercials!
“I must be doing it wrong, I don’t have a jade stone for my face, a lip exfoliating routine” etc.
And he exclaims every time he shaves that it would be so much better with a heater razor, then he needs some custom fit jeans and those special un-tucked shirts.
We find them amusing.
And he’s the master at switching stations during commercials. :O)
Lee says
Re #3: I’ve found that clicking “Unsubscribe” doesn’t always work. Often it just verifies to the sender that they have the correct email address. I just send the email to “Junk” instead. This is especially effective for political ads. I want to thank my best friend for that tip.
Martin says
Minimalism seems to have caused me to reflect on issues near and far, large and small. As, I soon concluded that there must be an immediate instruction of… acquire only that what you need, not what you greed.
Who promotes and encourages the desires, the demands, the unnecessary emotion to have? Marketers, marketing strategists….
Who accepts such messages to be OK and permitted? Misinformed consumers, immature consumers, disoriented consumers, money-makers….
Who suffers? The environment filled with purposeful ecosystems comprising of all of life, plus you and me.
Who permits such misbehaviour?
Who facilitates such misbehaviour?
Who participates such misbehaviour increases?
What is failing?
Formal education is failing. On all levels, our education systems are floundering, broken. A glue has yet to be located and applied. The term minimalism must not be defined incorrectly or minimally advanced. Minimalism is more than an economic or more room or less clutter. Consider minimalism be balance. An adventure awaits.
Freedoms ought not be dictated; nor should morality be legislated. If so, all to no avail. Brokenness will abound.
All negativities or weaknesses set aside, It can be easy to find myself caught up in a wrestling match. What’s next?
John says
Thanks for posting this. One factor that many people need to consider is: What is the hourly rate I need to earn to live my current lifestyle? This mentality would help them see their purchases as forcing them to give up time with people and things they love.
Ola says
It always shocks me when I watch TV. I haven’t had TV since 2007, but will see it on at the gym or when travelling. It really pulls you in. I traveled for Christmas, and saw very clearly how the messages were targeted for chasing unobtainable perfection. And it did make me sad.
I agree, avoiding it is best.
Catherine says
Consider buying a subscription to news sites instead of blocking their ads. Support good journalism AND get rid of the ads.
Jill D says
Subscribing doesn’t eliminate the ads. You still need an ad blocker. And then the paper to which you pay good money for your subscription (without ads) will still berate you constantly for having an ad blocker because they want your money and also the ad revenue. So get the ad blocker and ignore them.
S Willis says
Another idea from Care for the Family in the UK is to play “spot the lie” with your kids. Teach your kids to look for the subliminal lie within the advert – ie “You will be happy if you only had…..!” Is this really true? What happened last time you really really wanted something? Where is it now? Did it make you happy?
Nicole says
This may be a different sort of comment as would be expected here but it is an issue I’ve been “struggling”with. I manage a small picture framing business. I believe custom framing is important, we preserve and present art/memories. I know, like all things, art on the walls can be overdone. But for the most part, I believe there is still a need for my industry among minimalists. As a small business though, we have to let people know we are here. Are there any thought on a way to do this without being just another advertiser trying to push someone to purchase something they don’t need?
Jill D says
Survey your customers. How did they find you? What do they watch/read? Consider getting a booth at art or craft or home improvement fairs. Joint marketing with art galleries targeted to the audience you’re actually trying to reach. Pin point versus scattershot.
John McCready says
Great ideas Jill D!
I’m just starting up a new business, and wanting to be ‘found’ but not go over the top.
Plus, whilst I’ve had a couple of businesses before, (such as the handyman one which advertised in the Yellow Pages here in Australia which was a thick, thin-paged volume anything from 5 to 10 cm thick, depending on the locality it was in; and word-of-mouth; – I ran a small 2 x truck P/L Transport Company which worked on word of mouth, generated by past customers of the suppliers I was sub-contracting to.
*If* they were appreciative of how much care and skill we took delivering their multi-thousand dollar couches, etc., they would often ask us if we did removals on the weekend.
So I always carried business cards with me (and would give them two, one for them & one for a friend) and occasionally small handbills, but I never had them delivered into people’s letterboxes, or got around to emailing them, or building a website, as I could easily have enough requests to work 7 x days a week if I wanted too.
Nancy Hagan says
As a a minimalist, the sentimental items are the toughest to let go of. Could you show how you could beautifully frame those items, old letters, envelopes, land deeds, veteran certificates, diplomas, quilt pieces, jewelry, Mass cards, obituaries, wartime items, treasured books ( just a few of the things I have) and of course pictures in unique and beautiful ways? And advertise to this group?
Nancy