Transcriber: Sam-Haendell W. THOSIAC Reviewer: Khánh Huyền Let me start by acknowledging the obvious. The traditional advice that doctors like myself have been giving people by following a healthy diet and exercising regularly has failed.
It's not that it's bad advice, it's just that large majorities of us have been unable to follow it. One notable study by conducted by researchers at Oregon State University in 2016 illustrates the point. They looked at a population of about 5000 American adults.
They wanted to know what percentage of them met the following four healthy living criteria. They followed. They were sufficiently active.
They maintained a normal, healthy diet. They maintained a normal body fat percentage, and they did not smoke. Anybody in the audience want to venture to guess what percent met all four of those criteria Nearly everyone overestimates.
The answer is a shockingly low 2. 7% . But let's put that number into its proper historical perspective.
We Homo sapiens have been roaming the Earth for a little over 300,000 years. This post-industrial era in which we live in today comprises only 0. 1% of our time as a species.
For over 95% of our time we lived as hunter gatherers. So let's ask the question what percent of our hunter gatherer ancestors do you think met all four of these criteria? What percent do you think were sufficiently active?
Probably 100% . What about consumed healthy foods? Well, as you know, food in those times was sometimes scarce and starvation was a real threat.
But when food was available, our ancestors consumed natural, whole, nutritious foods they simply didn't have access to highly processed foods like hot dogs or donuts. Likewise, when food was available, they maintained a normal body fat percentage and smoking practically did not exist in those times. So we can conclude that when food was available, our ancestors passed this test with flying colors.
Today, we've largely solved the problem of food insecurity. How is it, then, that we collectively fail at this test so miserably? Obviously, there is a systemic problem here.
We cannot just blame the individual or the lack of willpower. There is something very wrong with our modern way of living. But before we get to what that is, let's look at the consequences of our collective inability to live healthy lives.
First, obesity rates are increasing year over year, not just in America, but in every single country on Earth, without exception. Second, today, as a family physician. I treat a large number of chronic diseases, commonly that used to be rare among our ancestors, even when they lived to an old age.
Some of these, like diabetes, blood pressure, and high blood pressure, makes sense because they're tied to our increasing waistlines. But some of these like anxiety disorders, major depressive disorders are not as obviously linked to our weight. So what's going on?
Third, naturally, as the burden of chronic disease has increased over time, so too have healthcare expenditures. And again this is true everywhere. So that gets us to the big question.
What's so different about us compared to our ancestors that explains the rise of chronic disease? Or what is the diagnosis for what is ailing us? The answer?
Mindless consumerism is the hidden, unrecognized reason for the rise of chronic disease in America and in increasingly elsewhere. When you first hear that, you'll probably feel skeptical. How does spending money mindlessly on goods and services, or mindless consumerism have anything to do with the rising rates of chronic disease?
In these next few slides, I'll make the case. Mindless consumerism leads to chronic disease in three major ways. The first point is that modern day employment is a health hazard.
How so? This is what modern day employment looks like for increasingly large segments of our population. In other words, we're sedentary for long hours of the day given our relatively rushed lifestyle.
Our children are left to consume easy, quick, sugary cereals to start their day too often. Then, after a long day's work, many of us understandably lack the time and energy to prepare a nourishing meal for ourselves and our families. So right off the bat, you could can see how diet and exercise are compromised in a major way.
And when we live like this for decades on end, the result is a high burden of chronic disease. Okay, maybe you agree modern day employment is a health hazard, but how does that relate to mindless consumerism? Well, that goes back to a paper written by the economist John Maynard Keynes in 1930.
In that paper, he made two major predictions. First, that the economy would grow eight fold by about our time, which, amazingly, it has. And second, that as a result, we would only be working about 15 hours a week.
Evidently he missed the mark on that second one. But why? What did Keynes not foresee?
What Keynes apparently did not foresee is a phenomenon that social scientists term social comparison. But what you and I better know as keeping up with the Joneses. The result, for example, is that the size of our homes have more than doubled since the time Keynes made his prediction, and it is packed with more stuff than ever.
And so instead of meeting our needs efficiently and gaining independence from our employers, large majorities of us remain tethered to our jobs to meet a growing list of day to day expenses. In essence, mindless overconsumption shackles us to the hazardous working conditions common today. Second, mindless consumerism leads to environmental changes that are harmful to our health.
How so? Mindless consumerism transforms our environment from one that is natural to one that is increasingly artificial. But we humans over several millennia have evolved in, and therefore are best adapted to natural environments.
But it's even worse than shown here because in addition, we spend 90% of our time indoors. In contrast, our Paleolithic ancestors spent 100% of their time outdoors. As it turns out, all this time spent indoors in increasingly artificial environments does wonders to our physical and mental health.
Is it any wonder, then, that we're seeing such high rates of anxiety and depression and other mental health disorders? We also change our environments by increasingly overpurchasing comfort and convenience. The problem you can see for yourself.
Third, mindless consumerism transforms workers in a way that is detrimental to the health of the larger society. How so? It turns out a person who is financially independent works for a different reason than a person who is financially dependent on their employer.
A person who is financially independent works largely because they are passionate about the product or service, and money is a desirable side effect. In contrast, a person who is financially dependent on their employer works largely for money, and the product or service is instead the side effect. Now, given that large majorities of us are dependent on our employer for our expenses, this has profound consequences across a range of industries.
But with regards to health, the result is that foods are re-engineered to become highly addictive in order to maximise profit for companies, even at the expense of the health of their customers. Consider this thought experiment. Hypothetically, if half the employees of McDonald's were suddenly financially independent, how many of them do you think would quit their job and do something else?
Probably a very high percentage, which means McDonald's would shrink in size and sell less harm to the public. And that in spite of whatever you've been told about, what's good for the economy is good for the people. Finally.
Okay. Each of these are individually major ways by which mindless consumerism leads to chronic disease. But taken together, they really explain nearly 100% of the reason for the rise of chronic disease.
But we could be okay with that. We could say, you know, what's the big deal if I have to take a few extra pills, if the result is that I have a bigger house, a fancier car, and many more things than my grandparents ever thought possible. And if that's made us happier, maybe that's worth it, right?
As it turns out, we have the data to be able to say whether that has made us happier or not. According to data taken from the 2018 World Happiness Report in spite of the tremendous increase in GDP per capita and spending, we've actually experienced a small reduction in levels of happiness. In fact, if you read the 2018 report, one of the reasons cited for that reduction is the rise of certain of these chronic diseases.
In other words, all this spending instead of increasing happiness has led to more chronic disease, which is thereby decreasing levels of happiness. Well, if all the spending has not increased our happiness, what does the research show actually does impact happiness? Well, they tend to be things that engage the human person in some way.
So factors that engage the body like exercise, good nutrition, sleep, factors that engage the mind, including enjoying a sense of security and factors that engage the soul, such as having a higher purpose, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying a sense of agency or control over your life have all been shown to be factors that increase happiness. Now, what you’ll notice about this list is that apart from food and security, all the rest are free of cost. You know, we often look for happiness in our material goods and possessions.
But in fact, according to the science of happiness, once we’ve met our basic needs, the best things in life are free. Okay, finally, the prescription. If mindless consumerism is the reason for the rise of chronic disease, the prescription for this is simple.
Consume mindfully. But of course, if we were to stop here, we might convince a few noble, high minded individuals, like the kind of people in this picture, to consume more mindfully in order to live healthier lives. But for the vast majority of the people, that's just not going to work.
There's simply too much appeal and temptation to the consumer oriented lifestyle, even if it ultimately detracts from our happiness. Fortunately, the path to healthier living just so happens to coincide with the path to financial independence, and that is a compelling prospect for just about anyone. As young college students, if I told you that you could become financially independent of your employer even before your parents, I bet that would get your attention right.
That's when life gets to be so much more interesting. When you gain a sense of agency or control over your time, you don't have to be told by a boss what to do. From 8 to 5 for decades on end, you get to devote your time to those things that you are passionate about.
What if I told you that for many of you in this room, you could get to that point by the time you're in your 40s or possibly sooner? And to do so is simple. Once you understand the science of happiness and consume mindfully, you’ll be able to invest far more than the typical financial expert even thinks is possible.
Instead of investing 10% or 20% of your income. Once you understand that based on the science of happiness, once you’ve met your basic needs, the best things in life are free. You’ll be able to invest 30%, 50%, or even 70% of your income to become financially independent in as little as a decade or two.
And that possibility at such a young age, and the freedom that affords is, in my experience, enough to convince nearly everyone to rethink mindless spending. Okay, but how do we know if our spending is mindless, mindful or not? Right.
Well, I don't want to be overly prescriptive and tell you what to buy or not to buy, but let me offer you this guide to consider when you're deciding whether to make that next purchase or not. First, take a moment to appreciate what you have and you'll automatically need to spend less. Assess.
Assess if what you're looking to buy is likely to increase happiness based on the science of happiness. Or might it actually detract from happiness, perhaps by undermining health or social connections? And finally, consider agency.
Every purchase lengthens the term of our dependence upon our employers. Is that a worthwhile trade off? You don't have to get it right every time, but if you just consider these Triple A's, you're likely to make big cuts in mindless spending.
Finally, let me end by considering the alternative prescription for living, which is what our politicians prescribe for us today. Our politicians, whether on the left or on the right. Their overarching societal goal for us is seemingly to increase GDP.
They prescribe exactly the opposite of what I say. They'll tell you to spend more because by spending more will stimulate the economy, and that will increase productivity. And by increasing productivity, we’ll innovate more and by innovating more, we’ll come up with transformative medicines and breakthrough procedures that manage chronic disease even better.
And you know what? They are right. But here's the problem.
We have to differentiate between chronic disease management on the one hand and healthy living on the other. Our goal is not to manage chronic diseases so that we could go back to the same toxic work environments that made us sick in the first place. We're not cogs in a machine interested in increasing productivity.
We are human persons. We’re interested in our health, our well-being and ultimately our happiness. We don't need some future innovation or technological breakthrough to become healthy.
Healthy food. Exercise. Good sleep.
Time spent outdoors are already available for us today. If only we are free enough to be able to take advantage of it. So we have a choice to make.
Either we could follow the prescription or our politicians prescribe and spend, evermore increase productivity and grow GDP endlessly. Or or we can follow the science of happiness and thereby consume mindfully in order to live a life that is happier, healthier, wealthier, more engaging. And simply better.
Thank you.
