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Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

Doesn’t more room in general and that for storage a catalyst for creating more “stuff”?

Asked by Hypocrisy_Central (26879points) January 8th, 2016

When one thinks about it, how much stuff does one really need? How much stuff does a person have they really use? Why starting my spring cleaning super early I got to thinking about what some said in this question, about wanting to have more cabinet space. I have heard people say they wish they had largest garages or closet space. Depending on where you live it might be small, but many of the houses I do work in are twice as big to three times the size the ranch style home my aunt owned. With all that extra space doesn’t it beckon to be filled with something? People who have a three-car garage but only one vehicle, do they leave that floor space open or do they somehow fill it with “stuff”? If you moved to a large house, with two extra bedrooms, if you did not make one a guest room, would they both remain empty or would you have to justify them by putting “stuff” in there? If you did put something in there, if you did not have the extra room, you would still have what you put in there, it would have just been somewhere else, and so it is not like that extra room was the only place it could have gone.

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5 Answers

Love_my_doggie's avatar

I believe it’s called “induced demand.” When roads are widened; they quickly fill with traffic. When a person has extra storage space, it gets packed with new stuff.

Early- and mid-20th century houses were smaller, and had fewer closets, than new houses. People owned less.

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

It can be but not having enough space can also make you feel like you are drowning in “stuff” even if it is not junk.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@ARE_you_kidding_me It can be but not having enough space can also make you feel like you are drowning in “stuff” even if it is not junk.
Yes, that is a true fact, but there is a tipping point where all the stuff that isn’t junk has a space, that would make any extra space unjustified unless you see needed stuff increasing or it gets filled with anything because one has to in one’s mind, show a reason why they have it. If everything you needed fit into 3.5 closets but you have 7 closets, psychologically having 4.5 closet space sitting empty would feel like it shouldn’t be, even if unneeded.

Jak's avatar

I wish I could work out how to link here to George Carlin’s take on “stuff” on my phone.

msh's avatar

Ooo- @Jak! Great minds- at the same moment!

There is only one person I can think of who seems to be able to answer this in the best way possible. George Carlin. Enjoy! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac&sns=em

I also recommend his ‘7 words’ commentary.

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