Can living smaller & simpler make you happier? A call-for-submissions

[MrDuggem]

You have a beautiful child, he is very happy. He has everything that he needs: love, food and shelter. He is the answer to your question.

[christiancph2]

I would like to comment on what the spanish guy says 1:39 about how hard work was traditionally. Now don't get me wrong, I think that they worked very hard 100 years ago. But I also think that they worked in a way that often wasn't very efficient or even necessary. Instead of eating meat and grains you can get all of what you need from vegetables and potatoes grown in raised beds in your backyard together with eggs, perhaps some chicken and fish from a nearby lake. I doesn't have to be so hard.

[eimat67]

Please excuse my arrogance in thinking that I know what it takes to be happy, but surely the main ingredient is free time. If we lived beyond our means, or just barely within the we'd have no time to spend with our kids, or doing anything spontaneous. Also, I think a lot of accidents are due to sleep deprivation (no time to sleep) . If you spend all your time working to afford your stuff, there's no time to enjoy it, or friends/family.

[areyouserial]

As an under-30, unmarried guy: Ultimately, "the solution" is to consume less, which is not sexy and is seen as "unsuccessful" to most young women with choices. It's hip to be rich and thrifty, but not to simply chose a low-consumption lifestyle. You're not seen as "legit" in life unless your story starts with "so I spent X years suffering the corporate life, then..."

If your story goes something like "I never wanted a big house or BMW" you're seen as incompetent and unsuccessful. No sex 4 u.

[djtrickypat1]

You have a good subject. What you need now is a theme. One might be personal growth and how simpler/smaller can change you, but the question then becomes is how you can make that personal theme resonate among people in many different lifestyles and situations.

[NavyBlueSTL]

Opposites attract. I am a person who has more than what I need and would love to downsize everything (house, cars, tvs, and other stuff). I married a woman whom I love, but gets her fix in buying more and more stuff. She even self proclaims that we don't need most of what she buys, but it's 'what she does'. Maybe you could explore why people crave 'bigger is better' even though they know it isn't true.

[kickndave21]

people are more than twice as wealthy today as in 1950? how do they do that math? what about inflation? It seems wrong to me. Now my wife and I must work, we dont buy hardly anything, we are currently living with my parents, and saving. But my parents or grandparents just needed 1 income earner for like 5 kids? whats up?

[scir91]

i;ve seen the small apartment styles in europe. THEY. Suck. i LOVE my american lifestyle of vast open space in my home which is nice and large. this new age wackoism is ridiculous. it's like going backwards to the caveman age. who cares about the earth anyway. one day, it will all be gone. enjoy your life while you are alive.

[CimaraNyx]

I lived my whole life thinking stuff held memories or stuff equaled status. It wasn't until 2005 and Hurricane Rita that my eyes were opened to what people really need. When it's 105 heat index, people need water. When help is available, but a long way off, people need transportation. The stuff doesn't really matter. What matters is having what you need when you need it. Everything else is a luxury. Some need luxuries to feel happy. Some don't. It's very simple.

[MrMoneyHelper]

I'm selling my stuff. 900sqft apartment for 1 is unnecessary, yet it is full of accumulated and inherited stuff. My goal is to live on the road in a small solar powered trailer. I've made a list of things to keep. It is fewer than 150 items. A reclining chair is the largest one. I'm debt free. Mobility is also freedom. Freedom is part of happiness. A 120sqft trailer will be large enough for me. To save $8K/yr I don't own a car. I've ridden bicycles year round in Montana since '07. Make a list.

[believeinpeter]

dont forget about the happiness of growing your own food.

[kirstendirksen]

Thanks for the comments. My question now is, perhaps we can improve our well-being by reducing clutter or moving away from the McMansion ideal, but to what extent can shrinking our stuff bring us happiness? By going smaller and smaller does that continue to make us happy or is there a limit? I'm guessing everyone has different needs so the answer may differ for everyone, yet still, while I don't think bigger can make us happier, I'm wondering if small- as an isolated idea- can either.

[sapodotroposo]

@kirstendirksen

Hi Kirsten, this is a very intresting question, on many levels!

I think it depends very much on voluntariness. If you feel forced to schrink what you consider your basic need of space and stuff, the simplicity is not as enjoyable as if you can downsize at your own pace.

[kkfireflower]

@kirstendirksen In my opinion, humans, which were once nomadic (animals), need... Well, I would like to insert something like 'A bag on their backs'... But the thing is, I don't think they need that, either. Humans are also vegan (don't be fooled by the canine teeth). We don't need a spear nor a sword. I think all we need is a large field and vegetation which grows in said fields (for food). I find the more I buy/have the more cluttered my mind feels.

[excalipoor]

living in hong kong is even worse. cant even get to live in a small apt.

[kirstendirksen]

@excalipoor I've been working more on this doc lately and I'm realizing that smaller is relative and I do think there are limits to saying smaller can make you happier. I suppose it's more of an avenue for changing your thinking about what you really need.

[cheungkl04]

Smaller and simpler make you happier?

the pressure of accumulation of wealth and the constant pursuit of material goods can make you work more and longer, spending less time doing things you love (like family) which probably could make you sad.

downshifting could help make you happier

maybe

[oppie925]

When you have nothing, the spiritual side can speak to you if you are open to it. Open your heart and see what happens. Ask God or the supreme being to speak to you and you will be happy with the answer because He will give you peace.

[bwhit0101]

I want to keep this simple. Who ever said that the more we have the happier we will be? I never learned it in any classroom or book I read. When I think of happiness and a simple life, I think of a organized function home free of clutter, but full of time to be with the ones I love, enjoying food, nature and the simple things of life. That is HAPPINESS.

[bwhit0101]

I want to keep this simple. This could be related to the tortise and the hair, slow and steady winds the race; small and simple will as well. Who ever said that the more we have the happier we will be? It is the clutter in our lives that clutters our minds and holds us captive in our own homes. Our garage doesn't even hold our cars! When I think of happiness, I think of a organized functional home free of "stuff" but full of time to be with my loved ones.

[Velocilover]

Over the past eight months or so, ever since I first came to knowledge of tiny houses, I've been mildy obsessed with living small. I gave up meat and threw away a lot of things. I'm 17 and still live with my mom and sisters, and I've always led a privileged life, so living small isn't really an option for me right now. The room I'm sitting in right now is bigger than a future home I want. It's really eye-opening seeing how so many people can be happy by giving up the most.

[justanotherjunkaddy]

I'm a packrat by nature, but I've begun really paring down my belongings and thinking very carefully before acquiring more. I have to say, I'm much happier now, after getting rid of nearly a third of what I own. Maybe "happier" isn't exactly the word, but I certainly feel less stress - my home feels cleaner, more simple. I'm not ready to let go of my nice, roomy apartment, but I do like it more when it's not so full of *stuff*.

[strongarm2019]

living simple is one thing, living in a 70 square room is another. if being cramped into a tiny space was such enlightening experience, then people in prison would be the happiest individuals on earth. I just saw the video of the woman living in 90 SQF apartment in New York. there`s no way that place is comfortable or relaxing. i`m sure it would smell like sweat in 10 minutes considering new york summer heat.

well my 2 cents. carry on

[BenZolno]

btw check out my newmessagemedia channel for a little talk I did about environmental video, for the Marine Debris conference in Hawaii. I hope we can put our minds together. GREAT WORK!

[BenZolno]

Great exploration. I love the line of happiness levels not going up with increasing wealth, then cut to ecstatic baby in super mod yellow sunglasses! People also ask me when I'll make a feature. As tempting as it is, because then that'd make me "legit", I wonder, "What good would it do?" Has any documentary shifted human thought in a way that will change our ultimate path? Have all documentaries combined been able to make a dent in consumerism? The answer, I'm afraid is no. So... what now?

[ipermagrin]

@BenZolno

Yes, documentaries do make a difference when they are thoughtfully crafted. There are many people who's lives have been touched by documentaries such as Food,Inc. If you truly have something important to share, it is your duty as a fellow human to do so.

[kirstendirksen]

Thanks Suwai for the response. Especially your mention of Buddha's idea that we're all already happy human beings, but we let ourselves be distracted by outside circumstances. I've been hearing similar ideas with some of the videos I've been shooting on living simply. People talk about "the burden of stuff" and how stuff just clutters their psychic space. The idea of peeling away our material needs to reveal happiness seems to be a theme for many.

[DanteMoodyFilms]

You are not what you own. Wealth isn't measured by how much you have, but by how little you want. This is spot on.

[c33r0k33]

thanks for doing this project... looking forward to hearing more and contributing if appropriate...

[HalfordJetset]

And speaking of happiness. "Everything is amzing but no one's happy" watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk

[HalfordJetset]

Nice video, and perhaps even accidentally a start to your upcoming documentary! I would definitely watch it, keep more videos coming I am eager to see more of life in Barcelona, love that city. Good luck and have a great weekend! Greetings from Sweden.

[geanark]

yup

sorry, no decent camera yet

[delfiroc]

que novios más guapos!