1
One day, a friend gave the thinker Diderot a well-textured, well-made, elegantly patterned burgundy robe, which Diderot liked very much. So he immediately discarded his old robe and put on the new one.
But soon after, he became troubled. Because when he was wearing a luxurious robe and pacing around the study, the more he paced, the more he felt that the desk he had used for a long time was dilapidated, and the style was not right.
How can such a thing match this beautiful robe on his body?
So Diderot summoned a servant and asked him to go to the market to buy a new desk to match the new robe. When the desk was bought, Diderot looked at his new study with great vigour.
But he immediately discovered a new problem: the stitches of the flower carpet hanging on the study wall were frighteningly thick, and they did not match the new desk.
Dider's servants were sent to buy new tapestries. However, it wasn't long before he found that chairs, statues, bookshelves, alarm clocks and other furnishings were not in harmony with the room after the new tapestry was hung, and needed to be replaced.
Slowly, the old objects were updated one by one, and finally Diderot got a palatial study.
2
What can we learn from the above story?
Matching effects are widespread.
The psychological matching effect, also known as the Diderot effect, refers to the phenomenon of psychological balance when people have a new item and constantly allocate items that are compatible with it.
That is to say, the matching effect reflects the "more and more insufficient effect": when people do not get something, their hearts are very stable, and once they get it, they are not satisfied, and they need more and better support.
Diderot's story is the origin of the matching effect.
Generally speaking, in people's conception, elegant robes are a symbol of wealth, which should be matched with high-end furniture, luxurious carpets, and luxurious residences, otherwise it will make the owner feel "very uncomfortable".
Thus, even as a famous thinker, Diderot found that "he had been coerced by a robe" and replaced so many things that he had no intention of replacing.
In the end, Diderot regretted that he had discarded his old robes, and wrote this experience into an essay entitled "Troubles After Losing the Old Robes."
The supporting effect reveals the cultural phenomenon of coordination and unification between consumer goods, reflecting the universal psychology of people's pursuit of matching harmony.
Because the supporting effect is widespread, many people have experiences similar to the following:
When I went out, I only wanted to buy a shirt, but after buying the shirt, I felt that it didn't match my pants, so I went to buy a new pair of pants. Put on your pants, and feel that the style of leather shoes is not a good match, and then buy a pair of leather shoes.
Originally, when I went out shopping, I only wanted to buy one thing and spend a few hundred yuan, but when I came home, I found that I bought a lot of pieces and spent thousands of yuan.
Learn to consume rationally.
The core of the matching effect is not the style of the new robe, but the way of life it symbolizes, and everything behind it is for the complete composition of this way of life.
Based on this, the sales staff will find ways to tell you how these goods match your temperament, how to meet your grade, and why you have to have such "matching goods".
Rolex watches and BMW cars, for example, both claim to be symbols of success and status. In this way, if you own a Rolex watch, then you should consider using BMW as a substitute so that you don't lose your "face".
This pursuit of matching is beyond reproach. In fact, to a considerable extent, it is this desire to consume that promotes the progress of human society.
However, when the desire to consume exceeds economic strength, affecting our pursuit of more important values, resulting in the inversion of the horse, the matching effect has a side effect.
We need to moderate our desire to consume, follow the principle of minimalism, and try not to have what is not necessary. Otherwise, if you accept one, then external and psychological pressures will often make you constantly accept more unnecessary things.
That's why your money is inadvertently lost little by little.