In "Work and Spend", Juliet Schor builds quite a persuasive case that
consumerism breeds
discontent as it constantly pushes
the envelope in terms of the desirability of material possessions. According to Schor, this creates an endless cycle of 'work and spend' that necessitates longer working hours, the sacrifice of leisure, and a situation where happiness has failed to keep up with economic growth. The paper argues that, while the conclusions that Schor reaches on the pitfalls of a consumerist culture are evident, given empirical evidence, there is ground to believe that
consumerism alone is not the sole cause of
discontent or longer working hours. It shows that closer examination of some of the causal connections Schor makes in building her case reveal the decisive influence of several other factors.