Downshifting
Encyclopedia
Downshifting is a social behavior
or trend
in which individuals live simpler lives to escape from the rat race
of obsessive materialism
and to reduce the “stress, overtime, and psychological expense that may accompany it.” It emphasizes finding an improved balance between leisure and work
and focusing life goals on personal fulfillment and relationship building instead of the all-consuming pursuit of economic success.
Downshifting, as a concept, shares many characteristics with Simple living
, but is distinguished, as an alternative form, by its focus on moderate change and concentration on an individual comfort level, a “dip your toes in gently” approach. In the 1990s this new form of Simple living
began appearing in the mainstream media
and has continually grown in popularity among populations living in industrial societies especially the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.
The primary motivations for downshifting are gaining leisure time, escaping from work-and-spend cycle
, and removing the clutter of unnecessary possessions that are accrued while existing in those societies with the highest standards of living and levels of production. The personal goals of downshifting are simple: To reach a holistic self-understanding and satisfying meaning in life.
Downshifting successfully demands sustained commitment and trying financial and lifestyle sacrifices. It tests the will and self-control of all adherents, regardless of pre-downshifting economic class. However, because of its personalized nature and emphasis on many minor changes rather than complete lifestyle overhaul, it attracts downshifters or participants across the socio-economic spectrum. An intrinsic consequence of downshifting is increased time for non-work related activities which, combined with the diverse demographics of downshifters, cultivates higher levels of community or civic engagement
and social interaction.
The scope of participation is limitless because all members of society, adults, children, businesses, institutions, organizations and governments are able to downshift.
In practice, downshifting involves a variety of behavioral and lifestyle changes. The majority of these downshifts are voluntary choices, but natural, life course events, such as the loss of a job or birth of a child, can prompt involuntary downshifting. There is also a temporal dimension
because a downshift could be either temporary or permanent.
of live-to-work. Reorienting economic priorities shifts the work-life balance
away from the workplace.
Economically, work downshifts are defined in terms of reductions in either actual or potential income
, work hours, and spending levels. Following a path of earnings, that is lower than the established market path, is a downshift in potential earnings in favor of gaining other non-material benefits.
On an individual level, work downshifting is a voluntary reduction in annual income. Downshifters desire meaning in life outside of work and, therefore, will opt to decrease the amount of time spent at work or work hours. Reducing the number of hours work, consequently, lowers the amount earned. Simply not working overtime
or taking a half-day for leisure time, are work downshifts.
Career downshifts are another way of downshifting economically and entail lowering previous aspirations of wealth
, a promotion or higher social status
. Quitting a job to work locally in the community, from home or to start a business are examples of career downshifts. Although more radical, these changes do not mean stopping work altogether.
Many reasons are cited by workers for this choice and usually center on a personal cost-benefit analysis
of current working situations and the quality extracurricular activities. High stress, pressure from employers to increase productivity, and long commutes are the costs of a job. If the downshifter wants more non-material benefits
like leisure time, a healthy family life, or personal freedom, then, switching jobs could be a desirable option.
or actively practicing alternative forms of consumption. Proponents of downshifting point to consumerism
as a primary source of stress and dissatisfaction because it creates a society of individualistic consumers who measure both social status and general happiness by an unattainable quantity of material possessions
. Instead of buying goods for personal satisfaction, consumption downshifting, purchasing only the necessities, is a way to focus on quality of life rather than quantity.
This realignment of spending priorities promotes the functional utility of goods over their ability to convey status which is evident in downshifters being, in general, less brand-conscious. These consumption habits also facilitate the option of working and earning less because annual spending is proportionally lower. Reducing spending is less demanding than more extreme downshifts in other areas, like employment, as it requires only minor lifestyle changes.
Alternative dietary choices and supplements, which include buying local foods, raising food-producing animals like chickens, and planting a sustainable garden
, lower the cost of food by minimizing food miles
and significantly reduce the transaction costs of trips to the grocery. These practices also reflect consumption downshifting.
of the individual downshifter.
. This economic rhetoric is meaningless to downshifters who have forgone worrying about money.
Although consumers do hold the majority in the US, the UK and Australia, a significant minority, approximately 20 to 25 percent, of these countries' citizens identify themselves in some respect as downshifters. Downshifting is not an isolated or unusual choice. Politics still centers around consumerism and unrestricted growth, but downshifting value, such as family priorities and workplace regulation, are appearing in political debates and campaigns.
Like downshifters, the Cultural Creatives
is another social movement whose ideology and practices diverge from mainstream consumerism and according to Paul Ray, are followed by at least one-fourth of US citizens.
In his book In Praise of Slowness, Carl Honoré relates followers of downshifting and Simple living
to the global Slow Movement
.
The emergence of a large and diverse class of downshifters in the US, the UK and Australia challenges the economically bias ideas for improving society. Downshifting and similar, post-materialist ideologies are rising in popularity, but as a result of their grassroots nature, and relatively inconspicuous, non-confrontational subcultures, they represent unorganized social movements without political aspirations or motivating grievances.
Social behavior
In physics, physiology and sociology, social behavior is behavior directed towards society, or taking place between, members of the same species. Behavior such as predation which involves members of different species is not social...
or trend
Social Trends
-Production:It is produced annually by the Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom. It gathers social and economic data from many governmental and other sources to form a comprehensive picture of how British society is at the moment and how it has changed over time. It also gives...
in which individuals live simpler lives to escape from the rat race
Rat Race
A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit. It conjures up the image of the futile efforts of a lab rat trying to escape while running around a maze or in a wheel...
of obsessive materialism
Affluenza
Affluenza, from affluence and influenza, is a term used by critics of capitalism and consumerism. Sources define it as follows:Proponents of the term consider that the prizing of endless increases in material wealth may lead to feelings of worthlessness and dissatisfaction rather than experiences...
and to reduce the “stress, overtime, and psychological expense that may accompany it.” It emphasizes finding an improved balance between leisure and work
Work-life balance
Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between "work" on the one hand and "life" on the other. Related, though broader, terms include "lifestyle balance" and "life balance".-History:The work-leisure dichotomy was invented in the mid 1800s...
and focusing life goals on personal fulfillment and relationship building instead of the all-consuming pursuit of economic success.
Downshifting, as a concept, shares many characteristics with Simple living
Simple living
Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...
, but is distinguished, as an alternative form, by its focus on moderate change and concentration on an individual comfort level, a “dip your toes in gently” approach. In the 1990s this new form of Simple living
Simple living
Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...
began appearing in the mainstream media
Mainstream media
Mainstream media are those media disseminated via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter...
and has continually grown in popularity among populations living in industrial societies especially the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.
Values and motives
Slowing down the pace of life and spending time meaningfully while not spending money wastefully are principle values of downshifting. Another main tenet is enjoying leisure time in the company of others, especially loved ones, and shunning self-absorption because it resists the normality of individualism and isolation of post-modern society.The primary motivations for downshifting are gaining leisure time, escaping from work-and-spend cycle
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
, and removing the clutter of unnecessary possessions that are accrued while existing in those societies with the highest standards of living and levels of production. The personal goals of downshifting are simple: To reach a holistic self-understanding and satisfying meaning in life.
Downshifting successfully demands sustained commitment and trying financial and lifestyle sacrifices. It tests the will and self-control of all adherents, regardless of pre-downshifting economic class. However, because of its personalized nature and emphasis on many minor changes rather than complete lifestyle overhaul, it attracts downshifters or participants across the socio-economic spectrum. An intrinsic consequence of downshifting is increased time for non-work related activities which, combined with the diverse demographics of downshifters, cultivates higher levels of community or civic engagement
Civic engagement
Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern."-Forms:...
and social interaction.
The scope of participation is limitless because all members of society, adults, children, businesses, institutions, organizations and governments are able to downshift.
In practice, downshifting involves a variety of behavioral and lifestyle changes. The majority of these downshifts are voluntary choices, but natural, life course events, such as the loss of a job or birth of a child, can prompt involuntary downshifting. There is also a temporal dimension
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
because a downshift could be either temporary or permanent.
Work and income
Because downshifting is fundamentally based on dissatisfaction with the conditions and consequences of the workplace environment, the most common form of downshifting is work (or income) downshifting. The philosophy of work-to-live replaces the dominant social ideologyIdeology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
of live-to-work. Reorienting economic priorities shifts the work-life balance
Work-life balance
Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between "work" on the one hand and "life" on the other. Related, though broader, terms include "lifestyle balance" and "life balance".-History:The work-leisure dichotomy was invented in the mid 1800s...
away from the workplace.
Economically, work downshifts are defined in terms of reductions in either actual or potential income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
, work hours, and spending levels. Following a path of earnings, that is lower than the established market path, is a downshift in potential earnings in favor of gaining other non-material benefits.
On an individual level, work downshifting is a voluntary reduction in annual income. Downshifters desire meaning in life outside of work and, therefore, will opt to decrease the amount of time spent at work or work hours. Reducing the number of hours work, consequently, lowers the amount earned. Simply not working overtime
Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:*by custom ,*by practices of a given trade or profession,*by legislation,...
or taking a half-day for leisure time, are work downshifts.
Career downshifts are another way of downshifting economically and entail lowering previous aspirations of wealth
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...
, a promotion or higher social status
Social status
In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....
. Quitting a job to work locally in the community, from home or to start a business are examples of career downshifts. Although more radical, these changes do not mean stopping work altogether.
Many reasons are cited by workers for this choice and usually center on a personal cost-benefit analysis
Cost-benefit analysis
Cost–benefit analysis , sometimes called benefit–cost analysis , is a systematic process for calculating and comparing benefits and costs of a project for two purposes: to determine if it is a sound investment , to see how it compares with alternate projects...
of current working situations and the quality extracurricular activities. High stress, pressure from employers to increase productivity, and long commutes are the costs of a job. If the downshifter wants more non-material benefits
Quality time
Quality time is an informal reference to time spent with loved ones which is in some way important, special, productive or profitable. It is time that is set aside for paying full and undivided attention to the person or matter at hand...
like leisure time, a healthy family life, or personal freedom, then, switching jobs could be a desirable option.
Spending habits
Another aspect of downshifting is being a conscious consumerEthical consumerism
Ethical consumerism is the intentional purchase of products and services that the customer considers to be made ethically. This may mean with minimal harm to or exploitation of humans, animals and/or the natural environment...
or actively practicing alternative forms of consumption. Proponents of downshifting point to consumerism
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
as a primary source of stress and dissatisfaction because it creates a society of individualistic consumers who measure both social status and general happiness by an unattainable quantity of material possessions
Affluenza
Affluenza, from affluence and influenza, is a term used by critics of capitalism and consumerism. Sources define it as follows:Proponents of the term consider that the prizing of endless increases in material wealth may lead to feelings of worthlessness and dissatisfaction rather than experiences...
. Instead of buying goods for personal satisfaction, consumption downshifting, purchasing only the necessities, is a way to focus on quality of life rather than quantity.
This realignment of spending priorities promotes the functional utility of goods over their ability to convey status which is evident in downshifters being, in general, less brand-conscious. These consumption habits also facilitate the option of working and earning less because annual spending is proportionally lower. Reducing spending is less demanding than more extreme downshifts in other areas, like employment, as it requires only minor lifestyle changes.
International Downshifting Week's Spending Tips
- Making a list of weekly purchases and eliminating non-essential items
- Cutting up a credit cardCredit cardA credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
- Not buying impulsively for instant gratification
- Hand-making items
- Donating, recyclingRecyclingRecycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
or reusing old items - Buying quality secondhand goods
Alternative dietary choices and supplements, which include buying local foods, raising food-producing animals like chickens, and planting a sustainable garden
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
, lower the cost of food by minimizing food miles
Food miles
Food miles is a term which refers to the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer. Food miles are one factor used when assessing the environmental impact of food, including the impact on global warming....
and significantly reduce the transaction costs of trips to the grocery. These practices also reflect consumption downshifting.
Environment consequences
The catch-phrase of International Downshifting Week is "Slow Down and Green Up." Whether intentional or unintentional, generally, the choices and practices of downshifters nurture environmental health because they reject the fast-paced lifestyle fueled by fossil fuels and adopt more sustainable lifestyles. The latent function of consumption downshifting is to reduce, to some degree, the carbon footprintCarbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
of the individual downshifter.
Downshifting geographically
As a response the hectic pace of life and stresses in urban areas, downshifting geographically is a relocation to a smaller, rural, or more slow-paced community. This is a more drastic change, but because the access to the internet is widespread and possible, downshifting geographically does not bring total removal from mainstream culture.Socio-political implications
Although downshifting is primarily motivated by personal desire and not by a conscious political stance, it does define societal overconsumption as the source of much personal discontent. By redefining life satisfaction in non-material terms, downshifters assume an alternative lifestyle but continue to coexist in a society and political system preoccupied with the economy. In general, downshifters are politically apathetic because mainstream politicians mobilize voters through the hip-pocket nerve, proposing governmental solutions to periods of financial hardship and economic recessionsRecession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
. This economic rhetoric is meaningless to downshifters who have forgone worrying about money.
Although consumers do hold the majority in the US, the UK and Australia, a significant minority, approximately 20 to 25 percent, of these countries' citizens identify themselves in some respect as downshifters. Downshifting is not an isolated or unusual choice. Politics still centers around consumerism and unrestricted growth, but downshifting value, such as family priorities and workplace regulation, are appearing in political debates and campaigns.
Like downshifters, the Cultural Creatives
Cultural Creatives
Cultural Creatives is a term coined by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson to describe a large segment in Western society that has recently developed beyond the standard paradigm of Modernists or Progressives versus Traditionalists or Conservatives...
is another social movement whose ideology and practices diverge from mainstream consumerism and according to Paul Ray, are followed by at least one-fourth of US citizens.
In his book In Praise of Slowness, Carl Honoré relates followers of downshifting and Simple living
Simple living
Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...
to the global Slow Movement
Slow Movement
The Slow Movement advocates a cultural shift toward slowing down life's pace. It began with Carlo Petrini's protest against the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome in 1986 that sparked the creation of the Slow Food organization...
.
The emergence of a large and diverse class of downshifters in the US, the UK and Australia challenges the economically bias ideas for improving society. Downshifting and similar, post-materialist ideologies are rising in popularity, but as a result of their grassroots nature, and relatively inconspicuous, non-confrontational subcultures, they represent unorganized social movements without political aspirations or motivating grievances.
See also
- AffluenzaAffluenzaAffluenza, from affluence and influenza, is a term used by critics of capitalism and consumerism. Sources define it as follows:Proponents of the term consider that the prizing of endless increases in material wealth may lead to feelings of worthlessness and dissatisfaction rather than experiences...
- Anti-consumerismAnti-consumerismAnti-consumerism refers to the socio-political movement against the equating of personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions...
- Conspicuous consumptionConspicuous consumptionConspicuous consumption is spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth. In the mind of a conspicuous consumer, such display serves as a means of attaining or maintaining social status....
- Cultural CreativesCultural CreativesCultural Creatives is a term coined by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson to describe a large segment in Western society that has recently developed beyond the standard paradigm of Modernists or Progressives versus Traditionalists or Conservatives...
- Degrowth
- Eco-communalismEco-communalismEco-communalism is an environmental philosophy based on ideals of simple living, self-sufficiency, sustainability, and local economies. Eco-communalists envision a future in which the economic system of capitalism is replaced with a global web of economically interdependent and interconnected...
- Ecological economicsEcological economicsImage:Sustainable development.svg|right|The three pillars of sustainability. Clickable.|275px|thumbpoly 138 194 148 219 164 240 182 257 219 277 263 291 261 311 264 331 272 351 283 366 300 383 316 394 287 408 261 417 224 424 182 426 154 423 119 415 87 403 58 385 40 368 24 347 17 328 13 309 16 286 26...
- EcovillageEcovillageEcovillages are intentional communities with the goal of becoming more socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Some aim for a population of 50–150 individuals. Larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals exist as networks of smaller subcommunities to create an ecovillage model that...
- Ethical consumerismEthical consumerismEthical consumerism is the intentional purchase of products and services that the customer considers to be made ethically. This may mean with minimal harm to or exploitation of humans, animals and/or the natural environment...
- FrugalityFrugalityFrugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the use of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance....
- HomesteadingHomesteadingBroadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.-Current practice:The term may apply to anyone who follows the back-to-the-land movement by adopting a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. While land is no longer freely available in most areas of the world, homesteading...
- Intentional communityIntentional communityAn intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
- Intentional livingIntentional livingIntentional living is a term used in a variety of contexts including religious, ethical and values-oriented contexts as well as coaching, personal transformation, and leadership training practices and programs...
- MottainaiMOTTAINAIis a Japanese term meaning "a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilized." The expression "Mottainai!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly "Oh, what a waste!"...
- Over-consumptionOver-consumptionOver-consumption is a situation where resource-use has outpaced the sustainable capacity of the ecosystem. A prolonged pattern of overconsumption leads to inevitable environmental degradation and the eventual loss of resource bases...
- PermaculturePermaculturePermaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modeled on the relationships found in nature. It is based on the ecology of how things interrelate rather than on the strictly biological concerns that form the foundation of modern agriculture...
- Simple livingSimple livingSimple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...
- Slow livingSlow livingSlow Living is the choice to live consciously with the goal of enhancing personal, community and environmental well being. Slow Living recognizes the role that time plays in shaping the quality of our lives. By slowing down we make time to savor our experiences and to connect more fully with others...
- Slow MovementSlow MovementThe Slow Movement advocates a cultural shift toward slowing down life's pace. It began with Carlo Petrini's protest against the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome in 1986 that sparked the creation of the Slow Food organization...
- Sustainable livingSustainable livingSustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet...
- ThriftingThriftingThrifting refers to the act of shopping at a thrift store, flea market, garage sale, or a shop of a charitable organization, usually with the intent of finding interesting items at a cheap price....
- Transition TownsTransition TownsTransition Towns is a grassroots network of communities that are working to build resilience in response to peak oil, climate destruction, and economic instability...
- WorkaholicWorkaholicA workaholic is a person who is addicted to work.The term generally implies that the person enjoys their work; it can also imply that they simply feel compelled to do it...
Further reading
- Blanchard, Elisa A. (1994). Beyond Consumer Culture: A Study of Revaluation and Voluntary Action. Unpublished thesis, Tufts University.
- Etziomi, Amitai. (1998). Voluntary simplicity: Characterization, select psychological implications, and societal consequences. Journal of Economic Psychology 19:619-43.
- Mazza, P. (1997). Keeping it simple. Reflections 36 (March): 10-12.
- Saltzman, Amy. (1991). Downshifting: Reinventing Success on a Slower Track. New York: Harper Collins.
- Bull, Andy. (1998). Downshifting: The Ultimate Handbook. London: Thorsons