Why do some things become clutter?

Ever wondered why some of your stuff becomes clutter? Jonah Berger has written a paper with Jacqueline Rifkin (“How Nonconsumption Can Turn Ordinary Items Into Perceived Treasures”) that indicates why some items become “clutter.”

In a discussion of this paper, Berger reports on “a specialness spiral. You take an ordinary item and forgo using it once. Because of that, you start to see it as a little more special. . . . The next opportunity has to be even better, which means that it’s less likely to be used, so it becomes even more special. It’s this ratcheting upward of a specialness spiral where an item that started out very ordinary, through repeated lack of use eventually becomes quite special and seen more as a treasure. . . .we don’t mean to suggest that all clutter is driven by this. . . . Marketers may want to consider a number of ways of dealing with this. Maybe it’s associating offerings with a specific usage occasion. . . . brands could consider encouraging consumers to use their offerings as soon as possible after purchase. . . . even if they’re nonperishable.”

“Curbing Clutter:  Why Do We Hold On to Things We Never Use?” 2021.  Knowledge @ Wharton, https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/curbing-clutter-why-do-we-ke…