11/28/2025
Once upon a time, there was a man named Denis Diderot —
a brilliant philosopher who lived most of his life with very little.
Then one day, he received an unexpected gift: a luxurious scarlet robe. 🎁
He put it on and felt instantly transformed.
But when he looked around his home, something shifted. 👀
The chair suddenly looked old.
The writing desk felt worn-out.
The bookshelf seemed messy.
Nothing matched the elegance of the robe anymore.
So he began replacing things.
First the chair.
Then the desk.
Then the shelves.
Each new object made the next one look worse.
He wasn’t upgrading his home.
He was upgrading the feeling created by that one robe.
Later, he wrote about this moment in his essay
“Regrets on Parting With My Old Dressing Gown.” 📖
And psychology gave the pattern a name:
The Diderot Effect.
One new thing makes everything else feel outdated…
pulling you into a quiet cycle of more, more, more. ➰
Here’s what we often miss:
You don’t notice it while it’s happening.
But your bank account does. 💸
Your mind does.
Your peace does. 🕊️
So this Black Friday, ask yourself:
“Do I need this… or is this my red robe moment?”
Save this. 📌
You’ll remember it the next time “just one thing” starts a chain reaction.
