Diderot Effect – One purchase spirals into many others

The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption that leads to additional purchases. This phenomenon is based on the lessons from the life of French philosopher Denis Diderot.

For example, once I got my standing desk, I ended up purchasing a 4K monitor, keyboard, desk mat, some fake plants, a desk tray, monitor light bar etc just to build a proper desk setup.

References:

• Atomic Habits (James Clear), Chapter 5 – The Best Way to Start a New Habit
• James Clear, The Diderot Effect: Why We Want Things We Don’t Need — And What to Do About It