Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-ImprovementSam Webster Harris | Growth Mindset PsychologyAll episodes

How to Want Less in a World That Wants You to Buy More

A deep dive on the psychology of impulse, scarcity, and the hidden forces shaping your choices. Using Black Friday as a case study 🎁

Every purchase begins with a story. Sometimes it is a story about convenience. Sometimes it is a story about who we hope to become. And sometimes (especially when a red countdown timer appears) it is a story about fear.

This episode asks: who is shaping the story before you decide? From Black Friday queues to endless online aisles, we examine how scarcity, social proof, competition, and frictionless technology can quietly move us from intention to impulse.

The point is not to reject desire, comfort, or beautiful things. It is to distinguish between a choice that reflects your values and one that merely responds to pressure. When we see the system clearly, we regain the ability to participate in it differently.

• Identify the story: what future self, status, or feeling is this purchase promising?
• Name the trigger: scarcity, urgency, comparison, or social proof may be doing the deciding.
• Choose deliberately: make room for a pause before the impulse becomes an identity.

Press play to see consumer culture with fresh eyes—and to practise wanting less, on purpose

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