They also found that even a small boost in self esteem made materialism drop. "By the time children reach early adolescence, and experience a decline in self-esteem, the stage is set for the use of material possessions as a coping strategy for feelings of low self-worth."

"Our results indicate that simple actions to raise self-esteem among young consumers can have a dramatic impact on expressions of materialism," Chaplin and John write. "By priming high self-esteem, we reversed the large drop in self-esteem experienced by early adolescents, thereby reducing the steep rise in materialism among this group."

Although this study applies only to teenagers, it leads us to suspect that expensive handbags really are the mark of insecurity (rather than wealth) that we always thought they were. Unless you really are super rich and fabulous, give yourself a hug and buy a cheaper purse. We love you for you.

In Children And Adolescents, Low Self-esteem Increases Materialism [Science Daily via Digg]
(Photo:hanapbuhay)

"Until recently I rarely was angry. Or at least I thought I wasn't ever angry. But the truth was, I had been bombarded with, it's bad to be angry. It's bad too want to lash out. Generally, I was angry because something I regarded as justifiably wrong had occurred either to my loved ones or to me. I had followed all the advice of just resolving to be happy, and didn't deal with my frustrations. One of the things that I've discovered is that I funneled my anger away. I funneled it so far that I didn't realize I was angry. So, now when I get a spending impulse, or eating impulse, I look inside to see if I'm angry. Because I have to find out what I've pushed aside. And instead of buying that outfit, I am going to actually allow myself to feel angry, and then, do something about why I am angry. I'm going to acknowledge it in some way by either telling the person I'm angry at or by writing about it."

Anger: not socially acceptable.
Shopping: socially acceptable!
Writing: socially acceptable AND free.

Does Dianne's previous method of coping describe anyone you know?

Curbing that Spending Impulse [Squeaks]

Then we thought about how stupid it was to buy water from Fiji . Not that there's anything wrong with Fiji, but we don't need their water. We have water. So when we saw the following quote, we were glad we didn't buy water that had to be transported from Fiji.

And in Fiji, a state-of-the-art factory spins out more than a million bottles a day of the hippest bottled water on the U.S. market today, while more than half the people in Fiji do not have safe, reliable drinking water. Which means it is easier for the typical American in Beverly Hills or Baltimore to get a drink of safe, pure, refreshing Fiji water than it is for most people in Fiji.

Message in a Bottle [Fast Company via BoingBoing]
(Photo: rickabbo)

Let it be known, however, that buying an Oprah iPod cover is just about the saddest thing we can think of, and we can think of a lot of sad things. We even own some pretty sad things. We own a fake police light that says "Hill Street Blues." (It was free, but we kept it.) Even that isn't as sad as paying $14 for an iPod cover with Oprah on it.

Just sayin'. Not her best idea, but all-in-all an Oprah store is still probably cooler than the whole Martha Stewart/Kmart thing.

Oprah, the store [Sun-Times]

PricewaterhouseCooperss released the data in its annual "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook" report covering 2007 through 2011, which outlines expected growth in the entertainment, film, music, and video game industries, among others.

The information not only reflects the gaming industry's strong trajectory but also serves as a painful reminder that the music industry continues to suffer.

Report: Video game spending to surpass music spending this year [Ars Technica]
(Photo: cryptolife)

Click to enlarge and see what the latest issue of Details calls the alt-yuppie, buppie, and guppie. Hint: Alt = Apple, B = Black, G = Fire Island.

Conspicuous consumption, the one accessory that never goes out of style. — BEN POPKEN