You may have thought Madison Ave. was already making a killing by playing off of depression. Products from Viagra to Porsches to Banana Republic seem to poise themselves toward filling the gaping hole in our lives.
But a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research confirms that not only does low self esteem increase materialism, but materialism helps create low self esteem. Researchers found that children and adolescents who were discouraged were increasingly materialistic, and that children given even the most modest tokens of encouragement became less materialistic as time went on.
The researchers have a legitimate beef with marketers who exploit an unfortunate emotional circumstance to hawk expensive clothes, luxury goods, and a fancy new phone I’m resisting. But it would be wrong to dismiss low self esteem outright. Depression after all has survived thousands of years of evolution, so L. Ron Hubbard must have given it to us for a reason.
Some scientists believe that, like nausea or the fight or flight response, depression is a tactic for dealing with natural conflict. Depression is an emotional signaling mechanism that makes the social group look out for trouble. In the individual it signals a need to fill a subconscious emptiness through an action such as reproduction, or more contemporarily, discover cures for diseases, paint masterpieces, or solve world crises. In plain and simple terms, depressed people tend to (pardon my French) get shit done.
The legitimate answer is not to get rid of low self esteem altogether. Just to use it as a more healthy motivator for action. So remember your patchouli-scented friend who keeps telling you (in a friendly way) that you’re destroying the planet by eating meat, using unrecycled toilet paper, or leaving your car running overnight so you don’t have to turn it on in the morning? Madison Ave. could solve global warming, simply by harnessing the power of that friend to make you feel terrible about yourself!
the Blanket Statement 
Interesting stuff.
Many years and brain cells ago I saw something about the early days of Madison Avenue on PBS. If I recall correctly, some psychologist turned ad guru demonstrated that desire filled (ie getting that iPhone you want) essentially doubles the desire. Before we’re grown that has been exploited to the point that it has grown exponentially and unless something miraculous happens, we’ll spend our lives looking for the next new thing that’ll fix us. (Although most of us don’t realize that’s what we’re doing.)
Saw something on Charlie Rose late last year where a group of shrinks and neuroscientist were discussing brain disease. One described depression, in the evolutionary sense, much as you have here. It’s natural and therefor almost certainly beneficial in some way. The problem, for people like me who are what they call clinically or severely depressed, is that our brains get “stuck” in the depressive mode. Or so said the scientist.
In my case at least, depressed me most certainly doesn’t get anything done. I’m doing good to get my socks on the correct foot when it’s bad.
Peace.