Remember being a kid and getting that new toy. The feeling was amazing to have something new in your hands. It instantly became your new favorite toy. You would play with it exclusively but then a couple weeks down the line you would be done with the toy. What happened? Are you spoiled? Is something wrong with the toy?
For most of the questions the answer is no, but let’s explore all of them.
I was like that. I would see a new toy and would want it immediately. It could have been anything, most likely a transformer toy. I would play with it for a couple of weeks and then the toy would become boring to me. I had no interest in playing with it anymore. Was I spoiled? I would say no because we were very poor and couldn’t afford many great luxuries although my mom tried.
So why do we get tired of things even if we aren’t spoiled?
I say that it’s really who we have become as a society that we constantly seek perpetual gratification. Perpetual gratification is always wanting gratification consistently, as to not have it be interrupted. This is different from instant and delayed gratification. The only slight difference is that those two, instant and delayed gratification, are determined upon your ability to wait. Perpetual gratification is constantly wanting something new in your life to show off.
Let’s look at some examples:
- Dealerships offering leased cars for a time period so you can get keep having that new car feel.
- Carrier companies offering to upgrade phones every year so you can always have the latest.
These examples show us where we are constantly wanting something to make ourselves feel better. I heard a story of a guy who after his apartment lease was up, he would move to a new place just because he felt like he needed to keep moving for a change of scenery.