Charged With Guilt

An entire generation of kids raised during the depression grew up with modest spending habits and their materialistic impulses seriously in check. Expectations were low, gratitude and humility expected. As they reached adulthood, stability was the assumed aspiration, and living within limited means was the status quo.

Then that all changed.

For the baby-boomers who came to dominate the U.S. social sphere a generation later, raised in the post WWI economic boom, the status quo evolved to "financial security" and "comfort," which were, arguably, simply euphemisms for wealth.

The consumer culture of these different generations evolved to fit the economic context of each. But spending patterns aren't all about practicality. Emotion and subjectivity find their way in; there's guilt, shame, pride, and euphoria; cultural mores are injected into every thought and behavioral pattern around consumerism.

According to Sarah Kershaw of NY Times Magazine, 95% of neuroscientists and behaviorists say that our decision to purchase or not to purchase is borne of a complex biochemical phenomenon that occurs deep within our subconscious.

Unless eclipsed by a major source of anxiety, big purchases tend to release dopamine, which triggers feelings of euphoria and chases away guilt and regret. But in a recent study done by David Lewis of Mindlab International, even upper-class consumers, who have held on to their wealth - and purchasing power- in the recession, experienced anxiety and hesitation in response to luxury goods. Before the recession those same high-end items elicited only positive responses-excitement, arousal, and raised attention levels. Instead, they now experience "disgust," according to the study, and consider the consumption of these high-end items irresponsible and even immoral given the state of the economy.

Professor Kit Yarrow's research that this mentality will not fade with economic revitalization. The results of his post-recession consumer surveys suggest that this newfound moral doubt over expensive taste is here to stay. Other researchers believe that this group-think will evolve like any other; that brain patterns are cyclical and soon dopamine will rule again.