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First of all, not all human beings are materialistic. I strongly believe that.

We tend to not be happy with what we have but what we want. We desire for more.

There is a saying that says that the other side of the lawn is greener.

We are inclined to compare ourselves with other human beings. Sometimes I have seen humans become so envious and jealous that they become their only barrier.

Why do we behave like so? We know that we can never be like them. Still, we want to have that kind of car, that kind of house and the list goes on.

Not only that. I have detected a feeling among humans titled A feeling of deprivation and replenishment.

Today we have an $80 Nokia Lumia 630 cellphone. Tomorrow we will see a commercial on an android phone. Little more expensive. Still, we want that. Then the market introduces the next-gen iPhone. We want that too. Then an iPad. Then iMac. Then iDesktop. Then dual-processor Xeon 21 cores the best desktop. Still, something will be missing tomorrow as soon we see the commercial of the next-generation TV with THX certified 8.5 channel Dolby Digital surround sound speakers and subwoofers.

Why does the human brain act this way? Is it right or appropriate to act this way? Is our human brain programmed for materialism and as soon as it perceives that object with its five senses and even though we don't need it we want it anyway? Why doesn't our sixth sense kick in and say hey enough already?

I have also seen in certain conditions and circumstances the sixth sense of homo sapiens automatically kicks in psychologically and it happens to support the lost or damaged senses. For example, when a visually impaired person is walking on the streets, right at that moment they can feel their sixth sense.

So the question are we materialistic by nature and why doesn't our brain have some sort of protection mechanism to protect us from that instinct?

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  • $\begingroup$ There are a lot of issues with this question which need addressing and they all link to lack of information on prior research. What have you read regarding this subject, and what is this "sixth sense" you talk of? What scientific literature supports this hypothesis? $\endgroup$
    – Chris Rogers
    Oct 24, 2019 at 18:23
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    $\begingroup$ "Why do we behave like so? We know that we can never be like them. Still, we want to have that kind of car, that kind of house and the list goes on." Because childish immature people don't know themselves. They haven't discovered their life (their taste, the things they love to do, etc.). Childishness and lack of intelligence and real-life experiences. Mature people are build-up from various intense real-life experiences. $\endgroup$
    – Marino Klisovich
    Oct 28, 2019 at 22:23

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I don't know of research that discusses this, as it seems to be more of a philosophical question rather than a scientific one. A quick search in Google Scholar did not yield a lot scientific articles, and rather, showed that this topic may be more theoretical.

Still, I'd suggest a few readings such as Rousseau's Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, or this article I found while doing some quick research : Materialism pathways: The processes that create and perpetuate materialism.

Otherwise, I found this website and a podcast that discuss the topic.

Enjoy reading/listening to these! Hope it helps.

Best,

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