Why Do We Keep Buying New Stuff?

This is your brain on shopping: When you see something new-to-you, your brain gives you a small pulse of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. This reward system was great for the prehistoric era—new berry patch: good; saber-tooth tiger: bad—but today, it’s contributing to an overconsumption problem that’s deepening our climate crisis. "Why Do We Keep Buying New Stuff?” read and written by Archana Ram. This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices