Obsession with money: this is how it appears in our lives.

The economy has invaded the mentality of many. Some people value everything according to its economic value.

Theoretically, money is useful because it is a language that everyone understands.. Thanks to it, we can understand all kinds of people, even those with whom we share neither habits nor interests, and carry out mutually beneficial exchanges.

However, as history progresses and societies find new ways to produce all kinds of goods and services, unintended consequences related to this element of cooperation are appearing. The obsession with money is a case in point..

Why does the obsession for money appear?

If we take into account all those famous quotes, reflections and slogans that speak about happiness as something that is beyond one's economic power, it may seem strange that there is an obsession with money.it may seem strange that there is an obsession with money. There are many things in life that can make us feel good: why focus so much on something that in theory is only a means to exchange things? As we shall see, there are several reasons for this.

The association with pleasure

Psychologists have long since discovered something very revealing about human behavior (and, indeed, animal behavior in general). When we associate a pleasurable stimulus with an action, in a given context, we have an association with pleasure.In a given context, we tend to repeat it, even though we may not be aware of it. Rationality is undoubtedly a very important element in our daily life, but its power is very limited, and it cannot change these tendencies.

For example, in the same way that a phobia of birds can be produced by having a bad experience having one of these animals nearby, if we learn to relate pleasure to an element, even if that element itself would not necessarily give us pleasure in another situation, we will want to come into contact with it again.

With this in mind, let's think for a moment about the omnipresence of money.. It is an element that is present practically by obligation in the life of any person, but that takes on special importance at the moment of carrying out commercial transactions. Except in the case of scams, these are experiences that can produce a lot of pleasure, especially in the case of expensive purchases to obtain products that you did not have before.

We all remember the illusion we have felt at some point in our lives when we have obtained products such as cameras, nights in luxury hotels, a car, etc. These are moments when you can experience the excitement and you get to experience the excitement and nerves that come with the anticipation of getting a new product.. It may even be that at some point in life we organize a whole day around the fact of making a special purchase.

This is one of the reasons why it makes sense that there is an obsession with money: it is very often present in situations where we feel good. But it is not the only one.

Instability and change

In theory, the obtaining and spending of money obeys, or until recently obeyed, two distinct facets of life: the personal and the professional. One earns income on one's labor side, and spends it on one's personal side, in most cases.

However, with the development of the capitalist mode of production, there is an increasingly blurred boundary between these two spheres. For example, it is common to take work home or even work during vacations. Similarly, schedules, in many jobs, have little meaning, and the possibility of constant communication thanks to the use of laptops and smartphones means that many tasks can be performed almost anywhere.

In addition, there is more instability in working life. The model of work based on getting a job that lasts several decades has expired, and today it is common to fear for keeping a position, or to assume that a job will only last a few years, or even months.

Against this backdrop, the obsession with money is but a symptom of what is happening: the only thread that structures our daily lives, in the absence of a fixed schedule, is the flow of gaining and losing economic power. Since it is common even to spend in order to work, the economic is seen as something fluid and unpredictable, a part of life to which we must always pay attention. The risk is always there, and that is why there is reason to think every week about the state of the bank account, even if you have a good economic status, since certainties do not exist.

In conclusion

The obsession with money is a sign of how, little by little, the economic and the professional has totally entered our mentality when it comes to perceiving things. when it comes to perceiving things in our private lives. In these times we are constantly thinking like entrepreneurs, precisely because reality is teaching us that everything is for sale and that everything can jeopardize what we thought was guaranteed.