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Instant meals and rapid deliveries: Psychologist explains how convenience culture is reshaping our spending and routines
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We want everything faster, from coffee to groceries. Here’s how our obsession with convenience is changing everyday spending.
From instant coffee and ready-to-eat meals that let us grab a bite before rushing to work to grocery deliveries that arrive within minutes, convenience has become an integral part of our everyday lives. We seem increasingly willing to pay a premium for solutions that save time and effort.
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However, beyond making life easier, this growing dependence on convenience raises an interesting psychological question: are we using it as a tool to manage our time better, or are we gradually losing our willingness to put in everyday effort? In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Divya G, psychologist at Aster Whitefield Hospital, Bengaluru, explains how our growing need for convenience is shaping our spending habits, daily routines and dependence on instant solutions.
Are we buying time or becoming dependent on it?
“As a psychologist, I would argue that the problem isn't convenience itself. We're all rather good at thinking up ways to avoid effort and make our lives easier; that is exactly the job our brains have evolved to do,” said Divya. In a busy world where we are working, raising families and trying to stay healthy and happy, we might decide that choosing convenience is just a matter of economic sense and good time management, rather than laziness.
But it's the moment that we begin to default to convenience for all of our tiny inconveniences that the issues really begin. The annoyance of waiting for something that you ordered online, making your own coffee in the morning, or going out for a bottle of milk a couple of houses away begins to wear us down, and the longer the wait, the worse it gets.
Divya highlighted that on top of those pitfalls, each behaviour comes with an emotional hook, too. Shop-and-deliver apps and quick-turn delivery have become downright addictive because they serve us up both stuff and a sense of relief. Whether we're trying to forget a long day at work or settle a restless stomach, a quick click and wrap-up of an online order or delivery meal can feel like a much-deserved breather and power move, but if we're always rushing back to the apps and kitchens to find comfort from boredom, discomfort, or emptiness, a good shortcut can become a habit.
Why shouldn't we give up convenience?
According to Divya, let's not idealize convenience either. Making time may serve for relaxation, relationships, leisure and other meaningful pursuits. For those who work a lot and have to balance between work and family, convenience might become a true gift for improving their quality of life. However, we need to understand that we are making a positive use of this time.
“What should be done is not to get rid of convenience, but to be more aware of its usage,” said Divya. It could sometimes be possible to brew a cup of coffee yourself, make a sandwich or go on foot to a nearby store, not because it is morally correct to do so, but because this way we maintain our comfort with effort. We should make use of convenience to make our lives better, not to allow it to dominate our lives. We do not need to do everything the hard way; we just need to be able to do so.
