Our Obsession with “New”
Our culture has a love affair with all things New. The latest news, music, books, products, programs, clothes and scandals—our obsession with new things drives the economy.
Did we choose to become obsessed with new? Not really.
There are two main drivers in this insatiable obsession. The first culprit is our animal brain, also called the limbic system. The animal brain is designed to scour the environment—to be on the look out for predators, prey and mates. The animal brain quickly detects what’s new or different in a familiar surrounding as a means of survival.
The second culprit is modern media. We have become programmed to believe that new equals better. Fashion, technology, automobiles and academic theories—every industry is susceptible to the “new” programming.
One example of “new mania” is the massive adoption of automated telephone systems and outsourced call centers. Businesses flock to these outsourced services in droves to achieve immediate cost savings. But what impact does this “new” option have on customer attrition rates and loyalty? Strong companies like L.L. Bean and Zappos have competitive advantages because they ignore the new trend and employ highly-trained, in-house customer service representatives.
The field of psychology provides another clear example. The new is heralded in terms like statistical relevance and evidenced-based practices. The old psychology was concerned with healing the suffering of real human beings. Pioneering thinkers like William James, Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung have become footnotes whose works are barely taught in many graduate programs. The intuitive brilliance and observational power of these great minds have been lost in obscurity by the field’s perennial focus on the new.
There are many pitfalls with our obsession with the new, but most importantly, we often disregard what’s working effectively and replace it with something that’s not.
If the old works well and it has integrity, be skeptical of the new. It’s one thing to improve on the old; it’s another to disregard the old because it’s fashionable to do so.
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Very good advice. This reminds me of the comparison of satisfying for moments of self-gratification in our life vs. putting in the hours to build character using the rock solid principles of integrity.
Good point, Todd. Our drive for quick fixes does seem related to this phenomenon.