People buy things because every purchase provides a brief biological pleasure. Shopping releases dopamine — the brain's so-called happiness hormone — which creates a sense of security. In extreme cases, Soone said, this can develop into compulsive shopping: "A person wants to experience that feeling again and again. They go out and buy those things even though they do not need them. In extreme cases, they go home and hide the purchases not only from loved ones, but even from themselves."

This short-term chemical pleasure is compounded by the fear of missing out, or the FOMO effect. It drives people to buy, for example, the latest tech gadgets. The constant release of new products also directly affects self-esteem, since possessions signal a person's status and membership in a particular community. "Now I have Apple too, I'm sitting in a café and the little apple logo is glowing — I'm displaying myself, I belong," the consumer psychologist said, illustrating this kind of social pressure.

Marketers, however, divide consumer motivations into two categories: needs and wants. "Needs are always much smaller than wants. At the same time, some needs are immediate — the kind that guarantee survival — while others are socially conditioned needs," Soone explained.

According to Keller, sociologists also speak of a "consumption corridor" with both a floor and a ceiling. "We can more or less define a floor below which people cannot fall — beyond that lies indignity, genuine hardship, deprivation and poverty," she said.

While people generally understand the idea of a minimum acceptable level of consumption, Keller said the notion of a consumption ceiling is much more complicated. In theory, she noted, it is possible to model how much a person could consume in order to protect the planet. In practice, however, it is far more difficult to impose limits on people's consumption.

Western Europeans do not understand urge to own your own home

In Estonia, these biological instincts are amplified by a materialistic mindset, since former Eastern Bloc countries share a culture of attachment to possessions rooted in past shortages. According to Keller and Soone, the sharing economy that has gradually spread in Western Europe has not achieved a full breakthrough here. "We have a memory of a different kind of social order, which means ownership carries somewhat greater significance," Margit Keller said, referring to the historical background.

The desire to truly own things also extends to everyday life: Estonians generally want to own their homes. In contrast, people in Western countries often see extensive personal real estate holdings as a limitation on mobility or changing jobs. "They say: 'Why should I tie up all that money in an apartment? I'd rather invest it, build myself an additional pension pillar and rent in the meantime. The state will help out later if something goes wrong,'" Ivar Soone said.

Still, Estonian society is also gradually moving toward rental models in certain product categories. According to the consumer psychologist, this allows people to maintain status without physically owning an item. Short-term rentals of a Louis Vuitton handbag or a limousine provide luxury without creating a long-term financial obligation. Soone gave the example of maintaining appearances: "No one actually knows whether it is rented or owned, but it still conveys your status."

As rental services develop, symbols of success are also changing around the world. Increasingly, success favors a more understated style of expression. For example, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wears simple jeans and T-shirts instead of designer clothing. "That signal actually means I have so much control and capital that I do not need to display it to anyone," Soone explained.

Despite changing preferences among the elite, the mass consumer market continues to operate according to the opposite logic: buying new things and overconsumption have been made extremely convenient. Cheap fast fashion, meanwhile, reduces the desire to use items to the end of their lifespan or repair damaged clothes. According to Soone, inconvenience limits frugality. "It is often easier to pay five euros at the store than sit at home darning a sock," he said.

Keller noted that repair workshops do exist, but remain more of a niche movement. "I do not think people would go to the office wearing darned stockings — that is where the cultural boundary lies. A boy wearing darned socks might go play soccer in them, but for a graduation ceremony people will still buy new socks, let's be honest," she said.

Give yourself a 30-day cooldown period

Advertising and marketing emails landing in people's inboxes further fuel consumption. Advertising messages often catch consumers off guard: they target the subconscious directly and create an artificial sense of guilt.

Because the brain processes emotions many times faster than rational arguments, buyers easily fall victim to flash sales and limited-time campaigns, according to Ivar Soone. "As the saying goes, the rational caveman ended up in the lion's stomach long ago, while the emotional one got scared and climbed a tree," Soone said, using a vivid comparison to describe humanity's instinctive survival response.

According to Soone, anyone wishing to resist psychological pressure to buy must consciously pause and consider whether the product is actually necessary. Specialists even recommend waiting up to 30 days before purchasing a new item in order to let emotions subside and avoid unnecessary spending. Soone gave the example of a high-powered mixer. "You calmly think through what exactly you would do with those higher speeds — and sometimes you forget about the item altogether," he noted.

A shopping list also helps keep emotions in check by eliminating random temptations. According to Soone, maintaining discipline requires effort, but conscious planning helps avoid seemingly beneficial discounts that are ultimately unnecessary. The consumer psychologist suggested rewarding self-control: "If we do not buy anything unnecessary, we can reward ourselves instead: buy a small pack of candy or whatever someone likes and treat the situation like a game."

A third method for curbing purchases is the rule that whenever a new item enters the home, an old one must go. This increases the psychological cost of buying something new. "It makes the decision emotionally expensive because how can I throw away my old favorite shirt," Soone explained.

Fighting consumer pressure demands considerable time and energy from individuals, since the constant flood of advertising makes conscious consumption difficult. According to Margit Keller, the ultimate solution lies in self-reflection where each person honestly assesses their own freedom and independence from external influences. The sociologist stressed the importance of preserving independent thinking: "Taking a moment to reflect helps analyze what I am doing, who is guiding me and whether I am controlled by outside forces or truly autonomous."

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