Beware the ‘Diderot Effect’

Looking around me and my home and the decorative pieces cluttering the house, I suddenly realised that I am caught in something called ‘The Diderot Effect,’ which I learned about recently. I plan to work on it seriously!

The famous French philosopher Denis Diderot who lived in utter penury suddenly saw a change in his life when he turned 52 years old. His daughter was about to be married, but he could not afford to give a dowry. Despite his lack of wealth, Diderot’s name was well-known because he was the co-founder and writer of Encyclopédie, one of the most comprehensive general encyclopedias of the time.

When Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia, heard of Diderot’s financial troubles she offered to buy his library from him for £1,000, which was approximately $50,000 then. Suddenly, Diderot had lots of money to spend. 

Diderot purchased a new scarlet robe. That’s when everything went wrong.

The Diderot Effect came into force. 

Diderot’s scarlet robe was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that he immediately noticed how out of place it seemed when surrounded by the rest of his other possessions. In his words, there was “no more coordination, no more unity, no more beauty” between his robe and the rest of his items.

The philosopher soon felt the urge to buy some new things to match the beauty of his robe. 

He replaced his old rug with a new one and decorated his home with beautiful sculptures, a new mirror to place above the mantle and his straw chair was relegated to the antechamber and replaced by a leather chair.

These reactive purchases have become known as the Diderot effect.’

We are always trying to upgrade and live a better lifestyle, not thinking to simplify or reduce clutter. We are caught in a vicious cycle of buying and accumulating. 

The Diderot effect warns us that we need to understand how to curate, eliminate, and focus on the things that matter in life... simple joys of life.

And to use wealth prudently.