The Luxury Trap: The Unintended Consequence of the Pursuit of a Better Life
Topic: Unintended consequences
by Angus, 2020 Cohort
A basic definition of unintended consequences is any outcome of a purposeful action that is not intended or not foreseen. This primer will add to the unintended consequences literature by focusing on one particular unintended consequence, the luxury trap. First described by Yuval Noah Harari in his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011), the luxury trap explains how luxuries can quickly turn into necessities that burden our lives. This is an unintended consequence that is often overlooked, and one that plays a major role in modern-day society.
For Harari, the luxury trap began with the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago. This revolution promised hunter-gatherer societies bountiful food surpluses in exchange for working the land and living in permanent settlements. However, instead of making these communities lives easier, food surpluses were quickly eaten up by a rapidly growing population, since a farming lifestyle allowed families to raise more children. Close living quarters and the domestication of animals meant widespread disease, people became malnourished from a lack of diversity in their diets, and child mortality increased substantially. These larger populations could not return to a nomadic lifestyle, because without farming, the land could not support them all. The trap had shut, and the luxury of agriculture had become a burdensome necessity.
Despite this Neolithic origin, it is clear that the luxury trap is still relevant to today’s society. As Harari notes, it is not uncommon to hear a university graduate talk about how they will take on a highly demanding job in the pursuit of lucrative pay, and vow to retire from that job as soon as they have enough money to pursue their true aspirations in life. However, by then, they already have a large mortgage, children in school and two cars to pay for. Unintentionally, their lives have become unfulfilling as they are trapped pursuing a goal they never set out to achieve.
It is also common to hear how the luxury of digital technology has become a burden on many people’s lives, as discussed by Cal Newport in his book Digital Minimalism (2019). Previously it took a lot of effort to write a letter, and it could take weeks or even months to get a reply. Today, someone with a computer can achieve the same outcome in a matter of seconds using email. However, instead of making for a more relaxed life with time to pursue more meaningful goals, people now receive multiple emails a day, all expecting a prompt reply. Harari explains that time has not been saved; life has simply been sped up, creating for a more agitating and anxious experience.
Avoiding the luxury trap is complex, but put briefly: we should not view luxuries in isolation as a good or service which provides us with utility, we should view them as a way to maximise the time we spend doing the things we most value in life. Luxuries should not be viewed as an end, but a means to an end of a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
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