[I Love Shinsho] A Society of "Hedonic Consumption"

1. Introduction

"Learning" is a process of endless exploration.

It is considered that the essence lies not in the mere acquisition of knowledge, but in "discovery and creation" that generates new knowledge.

Therefore, starting in June 2024, I would like to spend 100 consecutive days thinking about learning living knowledge. To break away from old views of knowledge (the Doner Kebab model of knowledge) and to awaken the power to learn for oneself, I will position Shinsho (new books) as the entrance hall of learning and try to utilize them.

2. What Shinsho are like

Shinsho refers to books in the Shinsho format, which are approximately 17cm tall and 11cm wide.

There are no strict rules regarding the size, and the dimensions differ slightly for each Shinsho label.

Furthermore, if taken in a broad sense,

"All books in the Shinsho format are Shinsho"

but generally,

"Shinsho"

refers to non-fiction works including educational and practical books, while novels in the Shinsho format are called

"Novels"

and are distinguished as such, so this time, I am focusing on non-fiction Shinsho.

Also, Shinsho are introductory in content compared to specialized books.

Therefore, when you want to learn about a certain field,

"reading them after online articles"

is the perfect position for these books.

3. Benefits of utilizing Shinsho

When you encounter a situation where you have to think for yourself about "what to use to start learning" and build your own learning, Shinsho can serve as one of the clues to acquiring the ability to learn on your own.

In this day and age, most people would probably start by doing a quick search on the internet, including social media.

Unless the topic is extremely obscure, you should be able to find some kind of information, such as news or blog articles.

If that information is sufficient in both quality and quantity, there is no particular problem with stopping there.

However, if that information leaves you wanting more, it makes sense to use a Shinsho (paperback) as your next step.

This is because the content is not too difficult, and you can still gain a certain amount of organized knowledge.

If online articles are the

"door"

to a certain topic or field, then a Shinsho corresponds to the

"entrance hall."

It is like being able to get a rough sense of the atmosphere inside a building.

In other words, you can roughly grasp the basic knowledge of that topic or field, such as:

What kind of content is covered?

What kind of issues are being addressed?

You can get a general overview of these basics.

Once you have solidified your foundation with a Shinsho, try moving deeper into the building or up to the higher floors by reading specialized books or academic papers to aim for further improvement.

4. Is it necessary to start with a Shinsho when learning something?

In conclusion, it is not a problem if it is not a Shinsho.

In fact, sticking only to Shinsho might narrow your options and perspective, which could actually be a disadvantage.

As mentioned above, Shinsho are,

a useful starting point.

As a "gateway to learning,"

it serves as a reliable ally, though it is not a panacea.

For example, various publishers have their own Shinsho labels, and a diverse lineup is released almost every month, but even so,

"there is almost never a Shinsho that covers exactly what I want to learn."

I believe this is the case most of the time.

Therefore, Shinsho are, at best,

"introductory learning materials"

and one of many, requiring combination with other items.

As for examples of other items, there are books that are not Shinsho that are also written with gentle explanations for beginners.

Manga is also fine.

5. Important things when choosing a Shinsho

Reading begins with choosing a book.

The same applies to Shinsho.

This is important, so I will emphasize it.

Of course, since the time available is limited, you cannot check every book, but even so, at a minimum, please try to choose books that clear the following two points.

1. You can take an interest in it

2. You can understand the content

6. The idea of learning from the past gives depth to learning

When I looked up the meaning of "onko chishin" (learning from the past) in the Kojien dictionary again, it was written as follows:

"To study and examine things of the past and gain new knowledge and insights from them."

"Onko Chishin" (learning from the past) was originally a saying by Confucius.

"If you study past history thoroughly and come to understand the essence of things, you will become a person capable of being a teacher."

It seems Confucius used this phrase with that meaning in mind.

However, I would like to use the term "Onko Chishin" here not in such an exaggerated way,

but rather with the meaning that "there are new discoveries to be made when you re-read books you have read or articles you have written in the past."

That is the extent to which I would like to use this phrase.

Since humans are constantly growing and changing, as time passes, you may find yourself having different perspectives or impressions of the same things than you did before.

Also, by making it a habit to re-read past books and notes (or notebooks), new "ideas" and "realizations" very often emerge.

Things you thought about in the past (past information) connect with what you are thinking about now (current information), causing a chemical reaction and giving rise to new ideas.

That is what it feels like.

I think it is a great waste for books you read or articles you wrote long ago to be lying dormant on a bookshelf or desk.

Why don't you all try practicing "Onko Chishin" as well?

7. Is there a difference between reading novels and reading educational books like Shinsho?

Below, I will quote two suggestive phrases.

◆ "Cool Head and Warm Heart"

These are the words of Alfred Marshall, an economist at the University of Cambridge in the UK who nurtured Keynes, one of the most influential economists who fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments around the world.

He is said to have stated the following:

"The people Cambridge sends out into the world should be willing to dedicate at least a part of their full strength to confronting the social suffering around them, with a cool head and a warm heart."

It is thought that a cool head corresponds to "intellect/knowledge" and a warm heart to "emotion." While both Shinsho and novels are important, it can be presumed that Shinsho acts primarily on the former, while novels act primarily on the latter.

◆ "Do not be impatient. If emotion is nurtured, will is born, and knowledge gathers."

This is a quote from the book "Ikuru" (To Live) by Kusafune Shiko.

"Ikuru" by Kusafune Shiko

He states that it is important to first cultivate emotions, and that will and intellect grow on that foundation, and I think that is likely correct.

Based on the above, for example, it can be inferred that if reading is biased toward Shinsho (new books), the cultivation of the emotional aspect might be insufficient; while a cool head might be polished, a warm heart might be neglected.

Of course, it is true that the cultivation of a warm heart (emotions) is not just a matter of reading, but is also greatly influenced by various human relationships.

However, regardless of age, I would really like people to fully enjoy literary works (masterpieces of novels, poetry, and essays) to nurture their emotions.

I believe these can serve as food for nurturing rich emotions at any time through emotional experiences that stir the heart in various ways. At the same time, in the long-selling Shinsho "Introduction to Literature" by Takeo Kuwabara, which emphasizes the necessity of literature,

"Introduction to Literature" (Iwanami Shinsho) by Takeo Kuwabara

"There is nothing more necessary for life than literature."

He argues this, and in Chapter 1, several grounds for why he can say so are stated, so please check it out if you are interested.

Also, there is a list of "50 Masterpieces" at the end of the book, which I think will be helpful.

8. [Random Reading No. 33] "The Society of 'Hedonic Consumption': What Consumers Are Seeking" (Chuko Shinsho) by Keiko Horiuchi

[Content]
Why do people buy things?
In today's world overflowing with various products, people often choose products they want to buy according to their own desires, rather than buying the bare minimum out of necessity.
However, consumers are fickle, and there seems to be no consistent rule as to what kind of things they buy and why.
This book reveals the common principles seen in diverse consumer behaviors such as "department store basement food halls" and "rewarding oneself" from the perspective of "pleasure".
What is the new relationship between people and things?

[Table of Contents]
Chapter 1: Exploring Consumer Behavior
Chapter 2: The Logic of Hedonic Consumption
Chapter 3: The History of Hedonic Consumption in Japan - Since the High Economic Growth Period
Chapter 4: Modern Hedonic Consumption - What Are the Overall Trends?
Chapter 5: Modern Hedonic Consumption - Individual Topics
Chapter 6: Hedonic Consumption Continuing into Tomorrow

[Discoveries (Insights)]
Looking at the transition of pleasure sought in consumer behavior, it is as follows.
High Economic Growth Period (1960s)
- Fun through leisure activities
- Satisfaction through functional rationality
Bubble Period (Late 1980s)
- "Fun" through consumption behavior involving high expenditures
- Satisfaction through economic rationality (along with the diversification of preferences)
Post-Bubble Period (After 1990)
- Small pleasures and joys through consumer behavior involving fixed expenditures
- Satisfaction through economic rationality (as a more pressing issue)
It has transitioned from an era when rice cookers and washing machines sold well, through an era when helicopter sightseeing tours were popular, to an era of "department store basement food halls," "rewarding oneself," "my-boom," and "healing."
The author says that the content of consumption behavior has also transformed, not by pursuing economic or functional rationality, but by buying because the consumption experience itself becomes pleasure in a broad sense.
Since it is a book written by a scholar, the introduction of academic theories is interesting.
First, it takes one whole chapter just to define pleasure.
Emotion psychologists Russell, Mehrabian, and others stated that all emotions can be mapped on two axes (high arousal-low arousal, pleasure-displeasure).
Happiness, joy, and delight are pleasures with high arousal, while calmness and peace are pleasures with low arousal.
Then, they encode these as Arousal (A), Pleasure (P), and also add a (Dominance (D), the degree to which one can control it oneself) element, saying that emotions can be described mathematically by the degree of each intensity.
Using this method, for example, "comfortable" can be expressed as +0.38P-0.06A, and "impressed" as +0.56P+0.07A-0.13D, etc.
Details seem to be in Russell and Mehrabian's papers, but this methodology seems capable of developing an analysis technique that distributes statements from internet communities on a single plane with emotions as axes.
Pleasure is defined as something that falls into an area with a high degree of pleasure on this emotion map, and it includes not only the targets of traditional hedonic consumption theory such as fun, interest, joy, aesthetic satisfaction, being moved, excitement, and enthusiasm, but also healing, relaxation, comfort, nostalgia, curiosity, and being cheered up.
It expands the scope of hedonic consumption.
One of the points where hedonic consumption differs from traditional classical economics is that the law of diminishing marginal utility does not work.
If you get used to a luxurious life, you will want to be even more luxurious.
If you get hooked on a "my-boom," you will get hooked even deeper.
"Pleasure has a tendency to strengthen the desire for pleasure itself."
It does not become "I'm full" like appetite.
Marginal pleasure does not diminish.

[Problem Formulation]
The reality of Japanese consumer behavior, which is caught in an insatiable hedonic consumption spiral, is analyzed in the second half.
There are several new perspectives that seem useful for marketing, such as whether the silver generation consuming luxury goods daily is a delusion created by marketers, whether saving itself has become a pleasure, and the image of consumers in a recession who engage in hedonic consumption even when they are financially struggling.
The introduction of statistical data on hedonic consumption is interesting.
During a recession, various household budget cuts are made, but there are products and services where the way high-income earners and low-income earners cut back differs.
It seems that high-income earners have more planned expenditures for high-end fashion and cultural events.
Does this mean if you want to meet rich people, you should go to luxury boutiques or concert venues?
If you are an entrepreneur, you might be able to find investors by giving presentations in such places.
The first half, which focused on academic theories, was particularly educational.
It is said in the world of marketing that making products with rich functions and low prices does not necessarily mean they will sell, and this book explained that theoretically.
Although not covered in this book, I think a representative example of hedonic consumption is Akiba-style consumption.
It is said that Akihabara has recently transformed from a town of home appliance sales to a town of otaku and enthusiasts.

[Lessons]
What does it mean to enjoy shopping?
I rethought whether I am "enjoying shopping correctly."
Experiencing joy, fun, comfort, a sense of security, interest, etc., through the selection, purchase, use, utilization, or disposal of products is called "hedonic consumption."
"Hedonic consumption" is a term proposed by American consumer behavior researchers Morris Holbrook and Elizabeth Hirschman in the early 1980s.
As a form of hedonic consumption, we can cite purchasing behaviors called impulsive buying and compulsive buying.
The latter, in particular, is a problematic behavior in consumption that has been taken up by media such as television and magazines and has attracted general interest.
It is said that impulsive buying is a purchasing behavior driven more by the desire to purchase than by the desire for the product.
In other words, highly impulsive buyers engage in actual purchasing behavior due to physical proximity to the product, emotional appeal of the product, and immediate satisfaction accompanying the purchase, and furthermore, by actually acting, they experience the impulse to purchase more frequently.
"Distraction buying," which is shopping for the purpose of a change of pace or stress relief, falls under this.
Compulsive buying is a more excessive purchasing behavior, generally known as "shopping addiction."
In this case, there is little interest in the product, and the person themselves is aware that they are buying things they do not need.
When leaving the store, they are often plagued by the guilt of "I bought it again," and after the purchase, they often hide the purchased items or do not use them at all while they are still wrapped.
Furthermore, as the frequency of shopping increases, there are cases where they cannot pay the price with their own income, accumulate debt, are driven to bankruptcy, and their daily lives fall into ruin.
The difference between impulsive buying and compulsive buying is that while the former cannot control the impulse to purchase arising from a desire for a specific product, the latter repeats purchases to alleviate unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and tension through the psychological satisfaction obtained from shopping.
For compulsive buyers, the purpose is not the acquisition, possession, or use of the product, but the purchasing process itself.
Consumer behavior is defined as "the actions of individuals directly related to the acquisition and use of economic goods and services, including the decision-making processes that precede and determine those actions."
And this consumer behavior consists of three stages: "purchase (acquisition)," "use," and "disposal." Here, two elements exist: the consumer (purchaser) and the product (or service), and it is based on supply and demand, but in compulsive buying, these two elements are not necessarily required.
What do they find in the process of buying things?
In our country, there is little specialized research on such purchasing behavior, but such purchasing behavior derived from hedonic consumption may potentially increase as consumer behavior in a mature society becomes more diversified.

[Conclusion]
Why do humans consume?
What criteria do consumers have when making consumption decisions?
The Japanese economy is now emerging from a long tunnel into a "tangible boom period," and the expansion of personal consumption is expected.
On the other hand, with the maturation of society, Japanese consumption is becoming increasingly diversified and complex.
In this context, thinking about the above themes seems meaningful for foreseeing (or rethinking) modern consumer society.
Regarding the point "Why do humans consume?", let's confirm it while taking up "utility," which is a basic concept of modern economics.
So, what is "utility"?
If you look up the meaning of "consumption" in a dictionary, it is written as "using goods and services to satisfy desires."
"Satisfying desires" can be rephrased as "satisfaction."
And "utility" is the concept of satisfaction in economics, and it is said to have the following properties.
Utility is an individual's subjective satisfaction, and comparing utility between individuals is difficult.
Utility is different from the value in use inherent to individual goods and services.
A point to note here is that the word utility rarely appears in our daily lives.
That is no wonder, as it is a foreign economic term derived from utilitarianism, which was the dominant social philosophy in 19th-century Britain.
Utilitarianism is a social philosophy that recognizes the greatest value in happiness and pleasure.
In other words, the philosophy of respecting an individual's free (or selfish) pursuit of happiness is included at the root of the word utility.
If so, the reason for consumption is to obtain utility.
Many introductory books on economics explain that "consumers make optimal consumption plans under budget constraints to maximize their own utility, and execute them."
That is,
(1) Humans consume to obtain utility (satisfaction)
And,
(2) When consuming, they act to maximize utility
That is what it means.
(1) is the answer from economics to the question "Why do humans consume?"
However, something remains unsatisfying.
Even if it is true that utility is an individual's subjective matter, if it is asserted that "utility and value in use are different," I want to ask what exactly the content of utility is.
Come to think of it, in our daily consumption, the part based on value in use is not small.
For example, when we buy a saw for DIY, we should be purchasing its value in use (the function of cutting wood).
And we feel high satisfaction with a sharp saw.
It seems necessary to think about the relationship between utility (subjective satisfaction) and value in use (objective function).
What is the meaning of "utility" in modern times?
It seems that value in use (objective function) is an element that cannot be ignored in increasing consumer utility.
It means that for any product, being excellent in functionality is required as a basic requirement first.
However, it is thought that the weight of value in use in consumer utility changes with the times.
In modern times, when things necessary for life are always available, there should be fewer situations where we purchase products by focusing only on function.
Along with that, peripheral elements surrounding the product, rather than the product itself, will become more important as the deciding factor for purchase.
In the world of marketing or brand management, the idea that appealing to the consumer's subjectivity is essential for getting consumers to buy products is now an established theory.
This is clearly expressed in the phrase "from functional value to emotional value," and companies themselves are actively developing initiatives to create values that make consumers' hearts flutter, have consumers experience them in stores and events, and lead to purchasing behavior.
We are now in an era where consumers do not buy "things" called products, but buy "experiences" (values, dreams, storytelling) related to products.
Above, I wrote "to obtain utility" as the answer of economics to the question "Why do humans consume?", but this is nothing but consumption as a "means."

[Comment]
However, in modern times where consumers buy experiences, consumers are rather turning into the "purpose."
The reason why humans still consume even though they are already filled with a large amount of things is probably because consumption is becoming self-expression for humans itself.
For economics, this might be a good opportunity to rethink the concept of "utility" that it has been familiar with for many years.
It is difficult to explain modern consumer behavior with the universal concept of "utility," and it might be better to assume multiple utility patterns according to consumer attributes (gender, age, etc.), life stage, items, usage, etc.
Without being bound by old frameworks, it is probably essential to interact with related fields such as psychology and marketing.

9. Reference Articles

<5 Points for Writing a Book Review>
1) Write so that even someone who has never held the book can understand it.

2) Try considering comparisons with the author's other works or the historical background of its publication (such as disasters or social events).

3) You may write about not only the appealing aspects of the book but also its critical points. However, always provide objective and logical reasons. Do not write based solely on the emotion of likes and dislikes.

4) Focus on specific points and write in depth.

5) A flow of "Book Overview -> Points to be covered in this review -> Reasons for choosing and evaluating those points -> Conclusion" is recommended.

10. Related Articles

[I Love Shinsho] Introduction to Behavior Analysis
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nf4d6f6ef7fec

[I Love Shinsho] Do Spirits Exist?
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nb397602c06a8

[I Love Shinsho] Japan's "Middle Power" Diplomacy
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nff46698ea558

[I Love Shinsho] Madness and Crime
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nc00c2d42a6dc

[I Love Shinsho] Overcoming Historical Perceptions
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n4e4225974b41

[I Love Shinsho] An Introduction to Law for Fathers and Daughters
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nf261a09672ed

[I Love Shinsho] The American Conservative Revolution
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n968de29b9590

[I Love Shinsho] What is Freedom?
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nda37804ca159

[I Love Shinsho] Starting Jodo Shinshu Right Away
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n1759ee81cac8

[I Love Shinsho] Just Started Jodo Shinshu
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n1c0fa6a39d79

[I Love Shinsho] Practice Problems for Nationalism
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n4a636e80a2f9

[I Love Shinsho] Post-War Reconciliation
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nac7b70ea3bb5

[I Love Shinsho] The Buddha and His Dhamma
https://note.com/bax36410/n/ndc56a78b8a45

[I Love Shinsho] In a World Becoming Animalized
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n02a8ab9d2f0a

[I Love Shinsho] Wandering Views on Life and Death
https://note.com/bax36410/n/ned739bc09ff8

[I Love Shinsho] What is International Politics?
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nca1243570704

[I Love Shinsho] Can Economists Be Trusted?
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n53922ed9f3a0

[I Love Shinsho] Question Justice!
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n44d4877b74aa

[I Love Shinsho] Nationalism
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nfcacc73e1796

[I Love Shinsho] Beyond Theater Politics
https://note.com/bax36410/n/ned0b825e09ba

[I Love Shinsho] Terror: A Theory of Modern Violence
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nff7d0ca0f520

[I Love Shinsho] What is American Diplomacy?
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n462e59d83c69

[I Love Shinsho] The Russo-Japanese War
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n64b42ab78351

[I Love Shinsho] A Theory of Unhappiness
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nf3a4463523b2

[I Love Shinsho] The Science of Dreams
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n1a673641b34e

[I Love Shinsho] War Reporting
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n20af0a5cc031

[I Love Shinsho] Real-Name Reporting of Juvenile Crime
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nae1b010fa57e

[I Love Shinsho] The Bushido of "Hagakure"
https://note.com/bax36410/n/nd41c0936c4e1

[I Love Shinsho] Deciphering Modern Russia
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n37490828476f

[I Love Shinsho] Rethinking Christianity
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n3434dc659e6e

[I Love Shinsho] The Laws of Improvement
https://note.com/bax36410/n/ndfe8bc72024d