Affluenza asserts that the reason we are so unhappy is that we are obsessed with consumption, and that this is making us sick.

Let's face it, most of us buy non-essential items fairly regularly. In fact, the average American spends around $18,000 a year on non-essentials.

Our addiction to materialism and consumption is ruining our relationships, sending us into debt, and destroying the planet.

Authors John De Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor introduce us to what they call 'affluenza' in their book, Affluenza: How Overconsumption is Killing Us–and How to Fight Back.

Treating it as a deliberately spread disease, they explain the symptoms, the origin, and the treatment of affluenza. We might feel a temporary high when we purchase more stuff, but the accumulation of things only gets in the way of what really matters.