Breaking the Code

How Can We Sell the Idea of "Less" When We Are Wired to Want "More"?

October 02, 2023 Havas Medical Anthropology
How Can We Sell the Idea of "Less" When We Are Wired to Want "More"?
Breaking the Code
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Breaking the Code
How Can We Sell the Idea of "Less" When We Are Wired to Want "More"?
Oct 02, 2023
Havas Medical Anthropology

Wanting "more" of anything we like seems to be a default human setting, even to the point of problematic excess. A packed closet means we have clothes to wear, an overstuffed fridge means we can eat, and a full wallet means we can buy even more of whatever we please. When Mae West famously said "too much of a good thing is wonderful", she probably wasn't thinking of a world awash in plastic garbage and a juvenile diabetes crisis that has sharps containers in middle schools throughout the US. This default heuristic that "more is better" has a counterpoint in "less is more", which is both paradoxical and a rallying cry for those who believe in "moderate consumption" throughout history (Lisa Kondo is not the originator of the minimalist aesthetic). 

Listen as we discuss both phrases and provide instances where more is more but where less is also more. The key is in the value framing of what's being offered and in making sure we are communicating what we gain--even with "less", the reward is "more". 


If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.com

Check out Breaking the Code on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-code-havas-health-and-you-podcast

Show Notes

Wanting "more" of anything we like seems to be a default human setting, even to the point of problematic excess. A packed closet means we have clothes to wear, an overstuffed fridge means we can eat, and a full wallet means we can buy even more of whatever we please. When Mae West famously said "too much of a good thing is wonderful", she probably wasn't thinking of a world awash in plastic garbage and a juvenile diabetes crisis that has sharps containers in middle schools throughout the US. This default heuristic that "more is better" has a counterpoint in "less is more", which is both paradoxical and a rallying cry for those who believe in "moderate consumption" throughout history (Lisa Kondo is not the originator of the minimalist aesthetic). 

Listen as we discuss both phrases and provide instances where more is more but where less is also more. The key is in the value framing of what's being offered and in making sure we are communicating what we gain--even with "less", the reward is "more". 


If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.com

Check out Breaking the Code on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-code-havas-health-and-you-podcast