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Does Green Buying Make Us Happier?

2019-12-17 Mama Minimalist

Green buying and Overconsumption

Ever buy on impulse? If so, you know those feel-good endorphins after handing over your credit card are real.Is it safe to assume, then, that shopping makes us happier? Where does green buying fit in?

On today’s episode my guest and I explore the connections between materialism, green buying and lasting life satisfaction.

Dr. Sabrina Helm is an associate professor at the University of Arizona whose research interests include climate change and overconsumption. Her recent study into the ways in which materialist values and well-being interact offers insight into the purchasing decisions that reliably improve happiness.

Enjoy!

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The Sustainable Minimalists Podcast

Latest podcast:

The Cost of Constant Connection

In this era of relentless connectivity, taking an exit ramp from our digital lives has never looked more inviting. In fact, emerging science is now confirming what many of us feel: Smartphones are draining our cognitive reserves, shattering our focus, and keeping us in a state of low-level chronic anxiety.

To see if there’s a better way, reporter Courtney Lindwall shelved her iPhone for a $45 Nokia flip phone. Courtney is on the show today to discuss the "dumb phone" movement, the logistical friction of navigating an app-dependent world, and why research says our brains are so desperate for a break.

Here's a preview:

[7:00] Continuous partial attention, instinctual muscle memory, and other ways in which our smartphones are working against us

[9:00] Gray scale? screen limits? Here's why the tools and tricks don't work for the vast majority of us

[14:00] Thoughts on our emotional attachments to our phones—and the emotional experiences they provide

[22:00] The psychological benefits of embracing a bit more "friction"

[33:00] Our brains are malleable, and we get used to a new normal quite quickly. Lean into that!

Resources mentioned:

How an old-school flip phone changed my life (via Consumer Reports)
This detox may erase 10 years of social media brain damage, researchers say (via The Washington Post)
The Brick phone access blocker device

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My Story

Hello there, I’m Stephanie. I live a crazy, beautiful life as a full-time wife, blogger + mother to two spirited daughters. I’m on a mission to simplify eco-friendly living so as to greater enjoy life’s sweeter moments.

Want to know more? Read my story.