30 Things That People Believe Are Worth The High Price Tag

Salut_eti_serpent came up with the idea for this post at the beginning of their day. "It was early in the morning. I was just waking up," the Redditor told Bored Panda. "I honestly thought it was probably a question that had been asked before and didn't expect such a turnout."

As of this publication, the discussion they started has over 3,600 comments. "The answers are all very different, but I saw something come up more than once. For example, investing in what connects you to the ground: a mattress, good shoes, tires... I never thought of it that way, and it seemed to be a common thought!"

Salut_eti_serpent believes their post has received so much attention because it tapped into human nature. "I think it turned out to be so popular because it talks about money and satisfaction, which are closely related to our emotions and desires."

And it's true. "Part of why we survived as a species is we're wonderful users of stuff," says American psychologist Tim Kasser, who has extensively studied the ties between materialism and well-being. Our ancestors might not have had teeth and claws or hard shells, but they could make weapons and armor to protect themselves. "When we're feeling insecure we orient towards materialistic solutions," he says.

We live in a culture that continually defines our worth as people based on our bank account.

"Over the course of human history, there have been many ways to demonstrate that one is a successful person… our social economic system channelizes that so the way to demonstrate it is to show you’re wealthy," he explains. "The scorecard for success is about money."

The system itself depends on people telling themselves they need those truck tires or that pair of shoes or whatever else ads convince us we need.

But according to Kasser, if we become less materialistic, our well-being improves, and if our well-being improves, we tend to be less materialistic.

To reap the rewards of this lifestyle, you don't need to sell all your worldly possessions and move to a mountain hut. Kasser believes one thing that can help is reevaluating your relationships with people who focus on the materialistic.

And as this thread has shown, making smarter purchases—focusing on quality over quantity and investing in meaningful, long-lasting items—can also contribute to a more fulfilling life.