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

Does living sustainably make you happier? We have some evidence (see video), but we want to hear from you. Tell us your stories. Either upload your videos to faircompanies.com or email us with your stories at faircompanies@faircompanies.com

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• happiness
• open source
• documentary
• consumption
• tiny houses
• small houses
• downshifting
• spain
• barcelona meeting point

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.