“Bad students have more stationery”? Maybe because of the possessive effect

“Bad students have more stationery”? Maybe because of the possessive effect

Narcissism is human nature. People always want to be better, so the things they own are given a higher value by themselves. This is the ownership effect.

Under this premise, people may feel that when they possess certain functions, those functions become part of the self.

Spring is coming, and with the temperature rising, more and more people are getting out of their homes, stretching their bodies, and enjoying sports. Many people feel that to get good exercise, they need to keep up with their equipment, so they buy gym equipment, professional clothes, and even gym membership, but then they don’t do anything about it, and their “career” ends the moment they place an order.

So why is this happening? What’s behind it? And how to avoid it?

People’s willingness to buy so much gear has something to do with consumerism traps, but it could also be the ownership effect.

We tend to associate “what we have” with “who we are.” This is common in everyday social interactions.

When we see a person carrying an expensive bag, we automatically assume that person is materially wealthy. When you see a person riding an old bicycle, you think he is a traditional and simple person. When people want to be different, they also instinctively want to buy something that makes them different.

Many social psychology studies and theories have demonstrated that people tend to subsume their possessions into self-concepts.

So people may feel that when they possess certain functions, those functions become part of the self.

In fact, learning a skill is also a change from an existing lifestyle. Most people who want to change are conflicted. They want to change and don’t want to change, maybe both at the same time, as if there are two “little people” fighting inside them all the time. In addition, ambivalence can be “sticky”, leaving people stuck between two choices, even for years.

So instead of constantly blaming yourself for not exercising, you might want to be honest and say to yourself, “I’ve had a hard day and I just want to be lazy.” The “don’t want to” part of you is much stronger than the “do want to” part, and you just don’t want to face it. It hurts your self-esteem.

However, if you want success to begin with owning, you must first understand that your inner self is not a “monolithic entity” and expose your motivation to change. This is not only a form of internal honesty but also the first step out of internal friction.