Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic - Review

Training & Development, July, 2001 by Wendy Mack

By John DeGraaf, Thomas Naylor, and David Wann

Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman wrote, "Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job that you need so you can pay for the clothes, car, and the house that you leave empty all day in order to afford to live in it."

If you see yourself in Goodman's quote--and cringe--you're not alone. For the past several decades, Americans have been putting in longer hours at work in order to buy more things. The name of this phenomenon, and title of a new book by John DeGraaf and his co-writers, is Affluenza.

Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic was first presented as a PBS documentary in 1997. It generated an outpouring of calls and letters, which inspired DeGraaf to team up with economist Thomas Naylor and environmental scientist David Wann to write the book. They wanted to convince the public that the United States, and increasingly the rest of the world, is experiencing an epidemic resulting from overconsumption.

The authors admit that much of the information they share isn't new. Many books and articles have been written on the damage consumerism inflicts on the environment, society, and people's psychological health. DeGraaf and his co-writers, however, successfully use the existing data to create sobering arguments: 1) The Earth can't keep up with the current rate of consumption, and 2) Americans have more stuff than ever but are increasingly less satisfied.

The symptoms of affluenza include communities where people don't know each other; houses with televisions for every member of the family; and people who, on the surface, have it all but feel depressed and empty. You don't need medical training to diagnose affluenza, and the statistics are staggering: The average American spends more than $21,000 a year on consumer goods. To emphasize their point, the authors note that each week Americans spend six hours shopping and only 40 minutes playing with their children.

DeGraff, Naylor, and Wann define affluenza as "a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more." Simple things such as the coffee we drink, the cars we drive, the burgers we eat, and the medicine we take all do irreparable damage. Coffee growers deforest the land and destroy the habitat of hundreds of songbirds. Manufacturing one car generates 700 pounds of air pollution. Every fast-food burger made requires 600 gallons of water, counting what's provided to feed the cow and crops. Trace elements of pain relievers, antibiotics, anti-depressants, and birth control pills are found in our waterways.

Some people may say that the damage to the Earth is worth it. After all, Americans enjoy the highest standard of living in the world. DeGraaf and his co-writers argue, however, that many people aren't enjoying life. The fantastical life represented in magazines and on TV is out of reach for most Americans. But people continue to believe that if they just work harder, they'll be able to buy more stuff and then be happy. Unfortunately, that thinking leads to less time with one's family and less time to contribute to one's community. It also leads to more spending even when the money isn't real: The average U.S. household carried $7,564 in credit card debt in 2000.

But here's the authors' most disturbing message: Affluenza has been cultivated and spread deliberately. The disease of rampant consumer spending was carefully studied, planned, and funded. The authors quote dozens of stomach-turning statements from builders, manufacturers, marketing gurus, and politicians who thrive on convincing Americans to spend more money on things they don't need. For example, a marketing director for the Chicago Tribune wrote, "The well-being of our entire system depends on how much motivation is supplied the consumer to make him continue wanting."

A core premise of the book is that people buy, not because they really need the thing, but because they've been brainwashed into believing that they can't live without it. One analogy compares American consumers to fish swimming along busily consuming smaller fish. Unfortunately, most people are oblivious to the big fish--the huge companies that swallow up land, resources, and jobs. In the authors' words, "To our horror, we discover that many of the service providers, merchandise retailers, and caretakers are not really taking care of us anymore. It might be more appropriate to say that they're consuming us."

If you lead, coach, or train others, this book provides useful insight into the malaise that overtakes many employees. Imagine that a man or woman in the prime of his or her career says to you, "I make a decent amount of money, I get praise from my boss. Why do I feel so stressed and worried all of the time?" The root of the employee's unhappiness may be affluenza.

If you have ever personally questioned whether working was preventing you from living, you should read this book. But beware! Though it will inform you, it may also depress you.