# Minimalism: What It Actually Means and Whether It Is Worth Trying

> Minimalism has become a lifestyle trend, but what is it actually about and what does the research say about whether owning less leads to greater wellbeing?

*Section: Lifestyle — By Priya Anand (Lifestyle & Travel Editor) — Published December 4, 2025 — 1 min read*

Canonical URL: https://dailyjunction.org/lifestyle/minimalism-as-a-lifestyle
Tags: minimalism, lifestyle, decluttering, wellbeing, consumer culture

## Key takeaways

- Minimalism is about intentionality with possessions, not necessarily owning as little as possible
- Research on materialism consistently finds weak or negative associations between material possessions and life satisfaction beyond a threshold
- Decluttering reduces decision fatigue and visual noise, which has measurable effects on stress
- The environmental benefits of consuming less are real but depend on not substituting new purchases for discarded ones

## What minimalism actually is

Minimalism as a lifestyle philosophy holds that intentional curation of possessions — keeping only what adds genuine value and discarding what does not — leads to greater mental clarity, lower financial stress and more freedom of time and attention. It is not about owning nothing; the Marie Kondo method, the documentary-driven movement popularised by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, and various decluttering methodologies all have slightly different emphases.

## The research on materialism

A consistent finding in positive psychology research is that materialism — valuing possessions and wealth highly as a route to wellbeing — is associated with lower life satisfaction, weaker social relationships and higher levels of anxiety and depression. The relationship between income and happiness flattens significantly beyond the level where basic needs and security are met. These findings are consistent with minimalist philosophy but do not necessarily endorse any particular lifestyle prescription.

## The practical effects of decluttering

Cluttered environments have measurable effects on cognitive function and stress. Research by Roster et al. found that home clutter was positively associated with perceived stress. Decision fatigue — the depletion of decision-making capacity through repeated choices — is reduced in more streamlined environments. Whether these effects persist long-term after the initial decluttering enthusiasm fades is less well studied.

## The environmental dimension

One genuine benefit of buying less is a lower environmental footprint — less manufacturing, less packaging, less waste. However, this depends on what happens to the discarded items (landfill versus reuse) and whether the consumption of new purchases is substituted. There is evidence of a "decluttering rebound" where the satisfaction of tidying prompts renewed purchasing.

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## Sources

- [The Guardian Life and Style](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle)
- [Refinery29](https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb)

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