Buying things you don't need, with money you don't have, to impress people you don't like.

“It doesn't matter what we want, once we get it, then we want something else." - Lord Baelish”

I work in an Amazon return center. We get all the stuff that customers opened and returned. After putting my hands on thousands of iPhones, watches, cameras, shoes, and all kind of expensive shit. Now I just see all this stuff as junk. People spends billions of dollars on these piles of junk.

My fiancée and her family in Thailand are poor rice farmers. They have very little in material possessions. They have no furniture. They sit on a Thai mat that lays on a concrete floor for all of their meals and time with family. They live from day to day gathering food and living off of the land. Yet they are the most happy, pleasant, welcoming and unstressed people I have ever met my entire life. Every time I visit them in Thailand I come home feeling like a changed man for the better.

I’m with Johaan. I’m 30, no social media presence or influence which is considered odd for my generation. But I identified the envy in the social media universe 9 years ago and quit FB and never went back. Never had a Instagram, Twitter, or anything of those sorts. My media footprint is limited to KZfaq which I view as a tool. You use a hammer for a purpose. To build something. Then you put it down. You don’t keep a hammer to your face 24 hours a day. I treat my phone the same way. And it is something I try to promote to my peers. Life is short and precious. Spend it making memories, not making statuses for people who don’t care about you

The richest man in the world is not the one with the most stuff. It is the man who needs the least.

When I lived outside the US I stopped feeling so self conscious about myself. I could walk everywhere without feeling judged or feeling like I wasn't good enough. I think that advertising has a big effect on us.

Freedom is what makes me happy, materialism will make you a slave.

Learning that materialism doesn't make you happy is the easy part. Convincing a woman to tag along with you in this minimalist lifestyle is the hard part, lol.

Money might not buy happiness but it certainly removes a lot of things that make me sad...

From my own experiences and viewing the experiences of others, I think Jim Carrey really said it best. “I wish everyone could become rich so they would see it’s not the answer.”

I've never cared about material things beyond basic needs & I consider myself exceptionally happy in life.

"If we are insecure, we are a motivated consumer." - I. Lawrence

This guy summed up social media so perfectly.

Materialism doesn’t make you happy. But Dmt on the other hand.

honestly growing up with no positive male role model, people like joe rogan have 100% stopped me going down a dangerous path positive motivation and just having someone tell you what you need to hear never stop doing what you do 👍

Keep your overhead low. A safe place to sleep. Something in your stomach and the health and happiness of your love ones is all that really matters.

Facebook should change it's name to Envy Me.

“In order to display their life to invite envy from other people they are not living their life” hit the nail on the head.

Smart phones and social media were the final nail in the coffin.

Studies have shown there is positive correlation between income and happiness, up to about $80k, and then additional income registers little impact. We all need enough income to afford basic needs, take care of our loved ones, and pursue our interests to some degree but after that, additional happiness probably hinges much more on our social lives.

“Junk values” I’m going to use that term from now on

Iv always loved stuff like nice cars nice clothes watches ect....I went on a 5 day hike in Nepal no internet just in mountains with locals something in my mind clicked that stuff and things don’t mean shit....moments and experience last are what matters

2 years ago I sold my home, sold, donated or threw out everything that wasn't important. Now I'm surrounded by only what really matter to me. Most of it was handed down by parents or grandparents. It made such an improvement in my life.

hot take: Snapchat filters have corrupted self-image

"From the moment we are born we are immersed in a machine that's design to make us neglect what's really important in our lives."

This, I'm convinced, is the most valuable lesson most people need to learn in order to feel so much more free and happy just from within.

External happiness is temporary. Internal happiness is eternal.

Wow, quite a lot of comments in this section miss the point ENTIRELY.

For those of you that are old enough to remember the age where you had to take film to a place and have it made into photographs, how many “selfies” had you seen before a camera was put in everyone’s pocket on their phone. I think the selfie says a lot about society and our culture and the road it’s headed down and why we breed so many narcissistic people here in the states.

I’m surprised that the junk value of an unattainable body image is something Joe doesn’t understand/agrees with. I’m an athlete and being healthy and strong are wonderful values that have clear benefits both for health and wellbeing, but there are clear issues with telling people that you need to LOOK a certain way to be healthy or that these pictures represent a healthy goal. I know a lot about training and nutrition and I also know some fitness models and being that cut is 1) not something you can maintain, as it requires dehydration/water manipulation and going to extreme lengths to lower your fat % and 2) isn’t healthy, since the optimal fat % health wise is actually a little higher and being super shredded requires an often unhealthy eating and training regiment when squared against longevity and long term physical and mental health factors. It also causes a level of obsessive focus on training/eating, that actually induces stress and lowers overall happiness. (You look amazing, but all you see is that you’re 10% body fat i.s.o. 6-8, so you’re not where you ‘should’ be > stress) Additionally the vast majority of fashion shoots have a good amount of photoshop/computer manipulation in the editing process. That is the very definition of unrealistic. Even these people who literally spend 7 days p/week building this body aren’t cut enough to go on the cover/billboard as they look. Promote health all day long, I’m 100% for it, and get people exercising and eating healthy, but please don’t tell us the fashion/fitness ads they talk about lead to healthier people or that people are lazy if they don’t look like that. That’s clearly not true.

Dudes 100% spot on.

This guy is right. People are obsessed with money and looks and mostly superficial stuff. I use to walk around with a gold plated watch that cost 15 bucks back in the day and every where I went people asked me about the watch. They were fascinated by it even though I just bought it cause I needed something would tell me time. Never expected those reactions!

Hari is spot on about junk values and using Social Media to try and create envy in other people. Thats one of the biggest reasons that web sites like Facebook suck raw - people making their “look at me and how cool my life is” posts. He is also right about materialism. Buying high priced status symbols may give you a relatively brief rush when you first acquire them but that wears off quickly and then all you have less cash in your bank account and a raging case of buyers remorse.

This is one of my most favorite things to talk about and probably one of my most favorite videos in my entire life. Thank you for this edit and for putting the name of the speaker.

I think Joe can be too much of a contrarian for his own good where it feels defensive. He should allow his guest to fully flesh out his point and than respond.

materialism might not make you happier past a certain threshold, but the ability to live a comfortable life without stressing about how you're going to pay for rent or food is a luxury that many people cant afford, and certainly makes your life much better/ makes you much happier.

For me, my 'depression' stems from my daunting goals -- and the fear of not pulling it off. Time and resources are a huge factor that is terrifying to lose; especially time.

I feel the issue is the " I will be happen when" attitude. We can be happy and then go ahead to achieve whatever material success we want. Once you base your happiness on the material wealth, it is a rabbit hole. Everybody wants to live well, and comfortably. Poverty is not a good place to be in

A terminal prognosis will make you forget about money and all other material things. Wake up people. Life is the greatest gift you have.

Rogan missed the bigger picture and got stuck with the ad example

Being rich won't make you happy, but having enough money will, and how you get it is probably the most important. I'd rather earn £25k a year doing something I love, then £50k doing something I hate.

I agree with both of them. Social media can harm people when used incorrectly, but can also open new possibilities and widen the horizon. Depends on what you choose to view (and consequently algorithms).

This guy right there gets it. Sometimes i simply think i'm going insane, but you know deep down it's the whole world that has it's values wrong. The last decade especially, what a trainwreck of an evolution....

Johann is amazing. Lost Connections is an incredible book. One of my all time favourites

I actually noticed this a couple years ago when I went to Paris. I found myself recording and going live to show where I was at. After that trip I noticed I didn't really get a chance to enjoy the MOMENTS. I came to the conclusion to enjoy myself to take 1 day out just to record and every day to leave my phone off and enjoy the moments

One of my pet peeves is when I'm behind someone at a concert and they are filming it thru their phone so it's hard to enjoy the band when 1000s of phones are out. I wish I could just go around smashing phones. That would bring me joy

This dude is a genius. 🤘🏼

Physical material things have no light, warmth, love, joy, magic, meaning, beauty and wisdom. But invisible metaphysical things like hope, faith, belief, trust, compassion, understanding and harmony do.

I am filled with gratitude that the intrinsic things bring me joy much more often than external things. Serenity and inner calm is more precious than gold.

my guitar makes me happy just looking at it makes me happy, brings me alot of joy!!!

GREATEST talk show on Earth shout out to you Joe!!!✊

Money cant buy happiness but if I could afford to pursue my favorite activities and dreams at a higher clip, I would be a more satisfied human being.

On the topic of cellphones and shows, Jack White obliges the audience to put their phones in a compartment where they cannot access them during the show. If there is something urgent there is a phone zone near the merch booth. It's fantastic. You don't know when the show will exactly start and end, you don't film, you just get immersed with the show and the people around you! There is an added value to the fact that he has no set list therefore, everything is super spontaneous. It becomes your show, he will not have the same show the next day. Makes it more special each time I see him play. He might be an awesome guest for you! Btw I love the podcast, it really changes my perspective on life, each day. Thank you Joe and the team.

4:35 Yooooo i LOVE this attitude! Seriously. This is important to note.

Money can't buy you happiness, but lack of money can buy you lot of unhappiness😊😊😊

Great discussion and lots of insights. thanks for this great post.

When I record something, it really is to watch it later but then I put it away because I want to actually enjoy the experience. My mom passed away so I am glad that I have old videos to look at and hear her voice

Totally agree. I was at Louvre couple years ago, nobody was looking at Mona Lisa, but taking a selfie with the painting then left, It was unbelievable

Joe is missing a glaring issue on the beach body advertising, it is photoshopped.

I agree with him on the beach billboard thing. Aslong as you aren't fat/unhealthy you don't need a 6pack for going to the beach. Ads like those promote body issues, and the funny thing is majority of those fitness models have the most body dysphoria. What's the point of having a the perfect physique if you aren't even happy about it? Joe always has an obsession with having a peak physique, but that's not everyone's main priority in life.

I got rid of all social media about a year ago and I have been so much happier ever since, truly. Its insane how negative on you social media can be.

Joes point about the advert on the billboard was absolutely spot on

Everything has its benefit curve. The first bottle of water in a desert can be worth to you a million. 30th may be a dollar. A middle-income person has a living with all the utilities and comforts and most of the benefits of current tech. He is just used to it so no additional happiness os to be gained from it.

Easily one of the best guests he has had, the last podcast with Hari was spot on!

I've learned to find happiness in experiences rather than things. Invest in experiences. In the end these memories are what you end up taking with you anyways.

If my family/friends don't take a selfie with me on my death bed and put it on IG, they never loved me to begin with.

I am at a point in my life where i feel happy with less material possessions. I used to be a crazed freak always wanting to buy the latest gadget, always wanting a better car than what i had, that was back 10 years ago when I was in college. Now all i have is what fits in a suitcase and I feel much more free mentally !

Joes got more toys than we could dream of and I’ve seen him smiling pretty damn big playing with them.

Exactly. Telling people what they already know. Just most people lack the maturity and dedication, and there's levels to that.

From personal experience nobody can tell you money doesn't make you happy or materialism doesn't matter it's something you have to experience and have before it sets in. I was materialistic, but i had to actually own all those things to realize it doesn't matter. Someone can tell you money doesn't make you happy or materialism doesn't matter, but then there is a ongoing battle because you constantly see it thrown in your face in society. Once you get all those things there is no longer a battle and you speak from the perspective of having it not lack of. Yes you can decide you don't need alot of money to be happy or materialistic shit, but you stuck with the stress of conflicting belief in society. Every wealthy person have to experience buying everything they want and being materialistic before they move on to other things. So go out get rich and blow money on alot of dumb shit and get it out your system than fight with the idea you not needing it because those conflicting ideas you fighting against will make you unhappy.

It's really easy to understand like everything we feel in our live we feel from within ourselves, outside situations just trigger the emotions if you understand this you will not worry about outside situations you will look inside and will definitely find peace.

In a way I was a lot less depressed when I had more "junk values", even if it was a bit empty. I do think it feels a lot healthier to be a more genuine person, but it's a massive downer to realize how firmly rooted the pursuit of junk is in america.

Having lived in NYC where advertisements are EVERYWHERE made me completely immune to them. Trust me, after awhile it just becomes numb and you learn to ignore them. Plus, how feeble-minded you have to be to fall for those advertisements? Just because someone is trying to sell you something doesn't mean you have to buy it.

Really interesting, very well put across from both parties!😊👍

There's quite a bit of research that suggests that a household income of around $75k/year is where people's life satisfaction begins to plateau (much more than $75k/year is not going to increase life satisfaction by much, and there's even evidence that more than around $110k/year life satisfaction starts to go down). So pretty much the answer to the question of whether or not money makes you happy is: it does in the sense that it can cover your basic needs and offer you opportunities to pursue some hobbies (~$75k/year)

Joe "interrupt everything" Rogan.

I love Joe's no BS attitude towards getting healthy and taking care of yourself.

Love this!

I would add that materialism has become a necessity in life now. I used to be a minimalist hippie type that didn’t care what brand of shoes someone owned. Then I was ousted from two jobs because I wasn’t into that stuff and was judged for it. I’ve also been rejected by multiple guys for a cheating gold-digger IG hoar type. So I’m not sure it’s possible to avoid being materialistic now unless you are willing to accept the negative effects of that. Men complain about gold-diggers, but those are usually the women they choose. Modern society is screwed.

I agree with this guy with everything except his insistence that this be inplimented top down by a government. People need to be able to be free to choose not forced too

Loving it in my 3rd street two person tent. Joe, your welcome any time.

loves this guys passion and he is SPOT ON!

Sounds like Joe should have interviewed Professor Cassor instead.

“Money can’t buy you happiness but you sure can pick your own misery!” R. Dangerfield

The only thing that makes me more motivated to achieve better is when I see people who live in huge homes and own many many acres of land. That’s inspiration. Not people who own expensive cars or clothings.

Love the way he turns up the gears at 1:34

Joe I own a Porsche and a new Tesla Rogan , tell us blue collar workers it doesn't matter .

"Please boss, pay me less so I can be happier" - said nobody ever.

I think his point with the beach body thing wasn't that those physiques showcased on the billboard were physically impossible, his point was more that the message that if you don't look like those people your body isn't ready for the beach is a bad message, because realistically most people aren't going to look like that even if they do care about fitness, they just won't have the time or the right genetics or whatever, but everyone should still be able to enjoy the beach without feeling ashamed of themselves.

The only thing I want to say about the recording a Elton John concert is that some people want to record for the memories not for the praise on social media. Like for example if I got a chance to see Linkin Park live I would want to record it so I can look back on it and be like wow I’m grateful too see them play. I could also understand his point of living your life through a phone.

Do a shot every time he says “Professor kasser”...

It is the Matrix. Happiness is now defined as how efficient, impactful you are as a economical unit to the industry, and the rewards you get from doing so, and these rewards don't actually make you happy. But what is important, is that now, we sustain, and innovate civilization as a whole. However, ourselves have been impact by these things that are, but distractions to sieve our energy away from us. And when we don't have that, we literally can't think what we want for ourselves. The West has not and still not accept the ideas from the East, and the South. We have allied ourselves, and watered down our values on the North. But once we integrate these, we can realize, our spirituality will slowly be unsuppressed.

Thank you my friend. 💯👍

veryyy good example with business course selling spot on.. good on you Joe

im with Johaan, Idk why Joe is acting like what Johaan saying isn't legit. Makes me wonder if he's apart of the system.

I threw out just about everything I owned a few years ago and started over. Minimalism is so much better.

This guest was awesome. Very pleasant and intelligent.

That is right . We are spiritual beings . Our true treasure is our interior which is our soul . Many people seem to forget that .

Drive through a housing edition on any weekend, and check out how much materialism is stuffed into their garage. We consume to appease our egos, egos that have tried so hard to provide them income. We are engines of commercialism that conflates life with the acquisition of possessions, which is not living.