The Power of the Idea that makes you want to/need to, spend and spend and spend

The above example of purchasing a holiday to the Maldives may be a bit extreme but I am sure there are many of you who could cite similar examples of when the need to splash the cash takes control and before you know it, you are already punching into the checkout the 3 security numbers on the back of your debit or credit card. Once that tiny ‘idea seed’ has been sown in your brain, it will very quickly make Jack’s Beanstalk look like a nuisance weed in the back garden that can be quickly banished with a squirt of Roundup or something similar.

This will be good for me…… This is just what I need……. It will encourage me to be more sociable…… The exercise involved will do me good……. This could open several doors for me. 

It does not matter what the idea is, once it takes hold, there is always an extensive list of the many positive possibilities and then there is the list of why you should not, and, oh dear, there is nothing on this list. So, it is full steam ahead and nothing can stop you from getting a fast pass onto this dopamine charged rollercoaster.

And so, you have made the purchase and in a heartbeat the funds exit your bank account. There, it is done. Between the time of purchase and being in receipt of your goods, the dopamine spike starts to dwindle and even with Amazon prime, it is still going to be at least two days before the thing that will be life changing can be in your hands. Another thought. That life changing gadget that you have just purchased, surely has a number of accessories that can only make the experience of having the thing be even more life changing and transformative? Let us search the world wide web and see.

Like many people before, I have also fallen victim to the spell bounding need of making the “must have” purchase. I was perfectly happy with my iPhone 11 Pro Max but then something happened. At half-time between Celtic and Sparta Prague in the Europa League (a very forgettable occasion), an Ad for the new iPhone 12 shone into my eyes and before I knew it, I was spellbound and knew in a split second that I was looking at the new love of my life. I was not sure how I was going to break the news to my iPhone 11 but regardless, nothing could keep the new iPhone 12 and I apart. Before the second half of the dreary football match had resumed, I had purchased my new iPhone 12. However, it did not end there. For that amazing new iPhone 12 I also bought the phone cover, the magnetic wallet that attaches to the back of the phone cover, the magnetic charger and of course, several new apps that you can only get with the iPhone 12.

So, why do we make these reactive purchases? A French philosopher by the name of Denis Diderot was very poor throughout his life but things took a dramatic turn in 1765. He was 52 years old at the time and his daughter was about to get married but with very little to his name, there was no way that he could afford the dowry. Nevertheless, Diderot was very well known as he was the co-founder and contributor to Encyclopedie, which was considered to be one of the most comprehensive and well-regarded encyclopaedias of its time.

Catherine the Great, who was the Empress of Russia, got wind of Diderot’s financial difficulties and she made him an offer to buy his library from him for £1000, which was a huge amount of money back then and suddenly, Diderot was now flush with money.

Shortly after acquiring his new-found wealth, Diderot purchased a new scarlet robe, and it was from that point onwards that everything went downhill. What unfolded thereafter is referred to as ‘The Diderot Effect’. The new scarlet robe that he had purchased was beautiful; it was amazing! However, it was very much at odds with all his other drab belongings. There was a disconnect between his new robe and all his other common possessions. He described how there was “no more coordination, no more unity, no more beauty” between his beautiful robe and the rest of his possessions. So, what did Diderot do about this?

He began by replacing his old rug with a new one from Damascus. He then bought sculptures to decorate his home, and he felt compelled to upgrade his kitchen table. He went on to buy an impressive new mirror that took pride of place above the mantle and he continued to make purchases which included a new leather chair.

The Diderot Effect states that following a new possession, which may come in the way of a purchase these days, will often create a spiral of consumption, which compels you to acquire more new things. Subsequently, this leads us to buying things that previously we never craved or needed in order to feel happy or satisfied.

The Diderot Effect will undoubtedly influence neuro typical people. However, when I reflect on the many hundreds of adult ADHD patients I have seen, particularly over the last 10 years, this phenomenon resonates greatly with me and I have seen first-hand the emotional pain and suffering it has caused, not only to the individual but to those closest and dearest to them. I will sometimes half joke with patients when assessing them, that prior to asking them about how they are with money, that I would like to fasten my seatbelt before I asked the question. Sure, we see patients who have large disposable incomes who can make one expensive purchase after another, but sadly we also see similar repeated purchases being made by patients who do not have the same financial means and who subsequently find themselves saddled with large amounts of debt for many years.

If you have ADHD, and The Diderot Effect does resonate with you, then how can you tame and control the influence of this phenomenon in your life? There are several potential strategies you can try, including the following:

• Avoid the triggers. When the advert came on TV and I saw the iPhone 12, the advert was my trigger and so I really should have got up from my seat as soon as the half-time whistle sounded in the football game and perhaps could have gone for a walk for 15 minutes until the second half had begun. If you know your trigger points, then avoid them. If you know that going to a certain supermarket is more likely to lead you to making purchases of things that you do not need, then go somewhere else. There is a certain high street supermarket in the UK that has a middle aisle which can present you with all manner of shiny potential purchases that you never knew you needed, that is, until you set eyes on said soon-to-be purchased item. Basically, if exposing yourself to Action A leads you to carrying out Action B, and Action B finds you fully embraced in The Diderot Effect, then avoid Action A.
  
  
• Eliminate Choice. Try and avoid putting yourself in situations where you must bring into play your ability to choose. Again, if we take the example of my iPhone 11 and the iPhone 12. If I put myself in a position whereby, I am comparing the two phones, I will undoubtedly opt for the new, shiny option because, well it is new and I do not have it, so I want it. Now that I have it, what have I discovered thus far? Well, there are maybe some new camera features on the iPhone 12 that are an upgrade from the iPhone 11. Have I use these new features? Eh, after two months, no not yet. So, do not put yourself in a position where you find that you are comparing something that you have to something that you could have, even though the thing that you have works perfectly well for you, whether it is a phone, a handbag, a pair of trainers, a car, or a house.
  
  You may well have your own examples of situations when it came to making choices, you made a ‘spiral choice’ that just kept on spiralling. So, eliminate choice.
  
  
• Remove Free Will. Cambridge Dictionary meaning - “the ability to decide what to do independently of any outside influence”. When an individual with ADHD employs free will to their decision-making processing then they may find themselves in the following situation or similar scenario: “when I decided that I was going to purchase my new Mercedes and to help me finance this new amazing project, I took out a £10,000 loan to pay off the outstanding balance of my very good, nothing wrong with it and fairly new Volvo, I did this of my own free will”. Nooooooo! So, for people with ADHD, removing free-will can save you a ton of money. If you find the words, “there is no harm in just having a look” coming into your head, then you should immediately about turn and get your brain and your body back into the safe zone.
  
  It is Saturday afternoon, and you say to your partner, “fancy a curry tonight?” In your mind, you are thinking, “I will just have a tikka starter, that is healthier and will do for me”.  At 7pm that night when you order the curry on your trusty app, something inexplicable happens. The sensible, healthy option that presented itself so positively to you in the early afternoon is replaced by 4 poppadoms, 1 portion of spiced onions, 1 large portion of mixed pakora, 1 small side portion of chips and cheese, 1 chicken bhuna, 1 boiled rice and 1 nan bread. Curiously, it is only much later when you feel the need to put one hand on your tummy as a means of supporting your somewhat distended belly whilst the other hand discards the leftovers, of which there is not much, that you recall the earlier distant healthy option of the tikka starter.
  
  “Again! Why does this keep happening? Ok, seriously next week I will definitely go for the healthy option”. Seen the movie, ‘Groundhog Day’? Well, I guess you know how the next week will go.
  
  You may always start off with good intentions, but the minute you find yourself presented with an option that potentially gives you immediate rewards and instant gratification but no long-term benefits, you are at risk of succumbing to its lure and later being left with regrets.
  
  Try not to put yourself in situations where free will is an option as it can take you in a direction that you may later regret.
  
  
• Side-Step Moderation. Have you ever found yourself getting ready for a big night out, say your works Christmas night out? You have a conversation with yourself in the mirror as you are getting ready and it goes along the lines of, “okay, I’m going to be sensible tonight. There is no way am I going to have a repeat of last year. You can have one or two drinks, but it is important that you stay in control. Just make sure that for every alcoholic drink that you have, your next drink is a soft drink. Easy! This year, I will make sure that I am on my best behaviour and when I wake up tomorrow, there will be no regrets”. What then unfolds is everything that you hoped would not happen.
  
  Often, people with ADHD are resolute and determined with their intentions at the beginning and even though they start off with great gusto, if they enter themselves into situations that requires them to apply moderation, then even with the best the best will in the world, the situation can quickly escape their grasp and everything they set out not to happen, can play out like a movie they have seen many times before.
  
  If you have a track record of having good intentions of keeping control and placing limits on your behaviour, but things can very quickly run away with themselves, then when moderation is likely to be beyond your grasp then it is best to avoid situations that have an ‘on button’ but the ‘off button’ is beyond your reach.

As humans, we tend to gravitate towards filling our lives with more of the things that we do not necessarily need. If we can try and spend some more time reflecting on and valuing who we are, who we have in our lives and what possessions we already have, then this will hopefully reduce The Diderot Effect on us and ultimately improve the lives that we lead.

To end, In Diderot’s own words: “Let my example teach you a lesson. Poverty has its freedoms; opulence has its obstacles”. I would add, do more of what brings you true happiness, that way, what brings you instant gratification, but zero long-term benefits will soon fade in its importance and influence in your life.