Friday Feature: The Diderot Effect

Do you like to shop? I used to. When I was young and single, shopping was recreation for me. Nothing to do? Hit the mall. Find a few new things. Entertain myself and enhance my wardrobe.

These days, I tend to think twice before embarking on these kinds of recreational pursuits. Don't get me wrong -- I still buy stuff. In fact, online shopping makes it all too easy to buy stuff without even getting off the sofa.

But now, I'm more likely to think about what I need. Whether it's the awareness that what I want and what I need aren't the same thing or a wisdom that comes with age and prioritizing -- or maybe those two things are actually one and the same -- I don't know.

Either way, I was fascinated to read about the Diderot Effect. While it didn't surprise me that our things feed our identity, I'd never thought about the domino effect of one new thing leading to another in quite this way. Definitely something to keep in mind the next time I'm considering retail therapy.

But that's another story.