One of the central premises of
marketing is that buying things will make us happy. There is a
growing body of evidence, however, that the opposite is true, that
the pressure to overspend and over-consume actually makes people less
happy. And when the pressure to become materialistic affects
children, the results are worse.
A study of materialistic values among children by
psychology professor Tim Kasser found that materialistic children
are less happy, have lower self-esteem and report more symptoms of
anxiety and less generosity. The study also found that more
materialistic children report engaging in fewer positive
environmental behaviors such as reusing paper and using less water
while showering.
Another study, reported by sociology professor and author Juliet
Schor, found that for children, “High consumer involvement is a
significant cause of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and
psychosomatic complaints. Psychologically healthy children will be
made worse off if they become more enmeshed in the culture of
getting and spending. Children with emotional problems will be
helped if they disengage from the worlds that corporations are
constructing for them.”
Other researchers have suggested that marketing is a
factor in the childhood obesity epidemic and encourages eating
disorders, precocious sexuality, youth violence and family stress.
Unfortunately, marketing to children is big
business, worth billions of dollars a year. And it’s growing.
According to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)...
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Author Wendy Priesnitz is the Editor of
Natural Life Magazine and a journalist with 30 years of experience.
She has also authored nine
books. Read her
blog.
