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.”[1] It emphasizes finding an improved balance between leisure and work[2] 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”[3] 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.[4]
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Money - We're surrounded by the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' credit culture and have forgotten the value of our true earnings. Curb your debt and prevent overspending by cutting up a [credit] card. Mantra - The more money you spend, the longer you need to work to pay for it. Remember - The best things in life are free. Re-learn the value of money and live within your means.Time - Everybody can claw back time here and there. When you change your perspective on the best ways to spend it, a whole new world opens up. What happened to playing games, reading, talking and interacting as a family? We've just forgotten the joys of doing them all. Mantra - What's the point of owning a fortune if you haven't the time to spend it? Remember - The most important gift is time. Spend quality time with the most important people in your life.
I hereby pledge to slow my life down a gear, for the benefit of my health, my well being, my environment and for those around me whom I dearly love.—Tracy Smith, The Downshifting Manifesto
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, 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.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7]
The scope of participation is limitless because all members of society, adults, children, businesses, institutions, organizations and governments are able to downshift.[8]
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.[9]
Because downshifting is fundamentally based on dissatisfaction with the conditions and consequences of the workplace environment,[10] the most common form of downshifting is work (or income) downshifting. The philosophy of work-to-live replaces the dominant social ideology 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.
Another aspect of downshifting is being a conscious consumer 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.[15]
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.[16] 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.[17] These practices also reflect consumption downshifting.
The catch-phrase of International Downshifting Week is "Slow Down and Green Up."[18] 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 footprint of the individual downshifter.
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.[19] 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.
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 recessions. This economic rhetoric is meaningless to downshifters who have forgone worrying about money.[20]
Although consumers do hold the majority in the US, the UK and Australia, a significant minority, approximately 20 to 25 percent,[21] 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.[22]
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.[23] 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.
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