DESTINY BY CAPITALISM OR INDIVIDUALISTIC FREE WILL: WHY DOES COLLECTING OBJECTS MAKE US HAPPY?

This article was submitted as a paper for History of Wellbeing and Happiness. Freedom Lapuz, all rights reserved. This article may not be used to train AI.

Having a personal collection of objects has existed throughout human history. However, why is it a universal human behaviour despite not being a product of survival instincts or reproduction assurance?  It is not like drinking water or eating food that is hardwired in our brains for a reason. It is not something that leads to finding love or needed to start a family. So that begs the question–why does collecting objects make us happy? From Gretchen Rubin’s perspective in her book The Happiness Project- she claims that there are two types of collectors. The first type is someone who “seeks to have a complete set”[1], and the second type as someone who “is driven by sheer desire by the siren call of objects”[2]. Rubin’s perspective makes a lot of sense. People often get a sense of relief or accomplishment when finishing a task. In addition, the call of objects is a very common thing. Maybe it is due to peer pressure or spoon-fed advertising, but it is clear from my anecdotal experience and pop culture references that certain objects make people feel happy. In Bertrand Russell’s book The Conquest of Happiness- he explains that ‘zest’ is “the most universal and distinctive mark of happy men”[3]. Russell never acknowledges collecting as a product of happiness, yet it falls under the requirements of zest. In addition, zest could mean anything as long as it makes the person happy. Russell describes zest as “sometimes general [and] sometimes specialized”[4]. If this was applied to collecting things, it could mean having a casual collection of LP records, books, or clothing. It could also mean having a niche collection such as Canadian license plates from the 20th century, or Blue Jays baseball cards that have been signed by players. Nevertheless, both books have a unique yet important perspective in terms of having collections of objects. This paper will argue that collections are an easy target for monetization due to their potential of fulfilling a person’s happiness with nostalgia, possession, and identity.

       Russell and Rubin both emphasize the importance of being interested in life. Despite Russell’s book being written in the 1930s while Rubin’s book was written in the late 2000s, the idea of trying not to be bored and keeping yourself occupied remained top priorities for happiness. Having a collection of items definitely fits the description of being an interesting activity that can make a person happy. It gives people a purpose and something to look forward to. Furthermore, it has the potential to get collectors to socialize and make new connections with other people. The common interest offered by collecting things can create communities and build relationships. I have to agree with both authors in their respective perspectives. Collecting has given me a purpose, new friendships, and keeps me happy. It is not that hard to find a Facebook group or an online forum that is catered to your niche. In my experience, it started with collecting Hot Wheels during COVID-19. During that time, my 6 speed 300 horsepower Subaru WRX was begging me to drive it. My afterschool program was moved over to Zoom, and I was stuck in my house 24/7. Since I have always been obsessed with cars, Hot Wheels intrigued me. Me and my younger brother, Franco, would drive every weekend at 6AM to browse and shop at all the Wal-Marts in the city. We were hunting every Hot Wheel car we could find in the stores. I was hooked on finding cars that I found interesting or unique. Maybe it is because I will never own all my dream cars in my lifetime, but I had a collection going that started with 10 diecast cars. Around 2022, I was starting to lose interest in the hobby. I did an inventory with all my Hot Wheels collection (along with other bigger scale diecast cars and other brands), and in total I had accumulated over 700 diecast cars. Another mind-boggling fact about that collection is all of them were sealed in their original packaging. I decided to sell at least 90% of my collection and kept the ones I cherished the most with me. Since I have connected with other collectors and attended countless events for the Hot Wheels community, offloading my collection was fairly easy. I thought it would be hard to let go, but it was the complete opposite. I felt good about myself because I was able to let go of something I did not necessarily love anymore. After that era of collecting, my next hobby became music vinyl collecting. I had a terrible record player that I got off Facebook Marketplace when I was in high school, but after I secured a good paying job at City Hall, I splurged and created my own Hi-Fi system. Since my old job was so close to ‘Into the Music’, a local music store in the city, I was buying LPs every other day. I have always been a musically inclined person, so my collection consisted of multiple genres. My first ever vinyl was gifted to me by my dad, and we both love The Beatles. It was the ‘White Album’, and he was able to get me the first edition North American release. So, when I had my hands on what people call “adult money", I went on to collect Nu Metal albums like Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled LP, Post-Punk Revival classics like The Strokes, and hundreds of Indie Rock/Pop albums and EPs. In addition to those genres, smaller collections like Hip-Hop, 60s Folk, and many more, were slowly growing in my collection. Today, this hobby has died down a bit. I have never sold any of my vinyl, but I have gifted some to friends and family. My desire to collect vinyl has died down recently, and maybe it is because I quit a well-paying job to go back to school. Which brings us to the present, where I work a part-time position at a daycare, making a fraction of my City Hall job. Since my wage has significantly been lowered, I tried my best to find hobbies that did not break the bank. I have always been interested in playing airsoft since I was a kid, so I gave that a shot. With my tax-refund money, I bought an AK-74 rifle replica, and went to my first event in 2024–I was hooked. I really love the role-playing aspect of airsoft events like skirmishes and team-deathmatch, and just like any other airsoft enthusiasts out there, I also love customizing my own costume and weapons. I had different outfits such as ghillie suits, freedom fighter guerrilla uniforms, and dozens more that were inspired by real-life conflicts. In addition, I bought myself a M9 handgun, CQB M4A1, and a used PP-19 Bizon-2 to add to my arsenal of airsoft rifles. I wanted each rifle to represent myself, so they were all customized to my liking. All of my rifles have some type of optic attachment, and a few have silencers, tracers, and custom magazines. I still love this hobby to this day, and it is a slow collection that I think will grow when time goes on. Since each rifle costs about $300 to $500 dollars, I cannot justify buying a new weapon every year. I do have a collection of suits and costumes, and I think I can call it a collection. Thankfully, the thrift store is a budget friendly place where I can customize my attires for airsoft events. Most recently, the newest interest which has turned into my hobby, is fishing. I never thought I would like fishing because I love aquascaping and taking care of aquariums. Fish to me are intriguing and fun to keep. However, my girlfriend is deathly afraid of fish, so I do not have an aquarium at the moment. Ever since I learned that fish cannot feel the hook on their mouths since they do not have nerves on that specific part of their body, I hesitantly tried fishing last summer. I was instantly hooked (pun intended). I enjoyed fishing by myself and seeing the different species that live in Red River, Lake Winnipeg, and all the trout ponds found in the province. I usually practice catch and release, but whenever I am fishing with my family, it is catch and cook. The collection aspect of fishing is with the data I receive from each species. I find it quite easy to catch Northern Pikes in Lake Winnipeg, and have collected dozens of pictures for my fishing album I am currently working on. Stocked trout ponds are fun because they are finicky to catch and require skill to reel in. Lastly, catching walleyes makes me feel like a true Winnipegger, and I am still on my mission to catch a master walleye in Lake Winnipeg. There is also a sense of collecting with the different reels and rods that I use. I have 5 fishing rods and 6 reels all together. I find happiness in creating combinations when preparing for a trip, and it feels like a game to me when trying to figure out which rod and reel will perform the best. Recently, I have tried ice-fishing this winter. Unfortunately, I have skunked out every trip, but I remained determined to catch at least one fish this season. At the start of the school year, I had no hobby that I was truly invested in. That was until my friends and cousins introduced me to Pokémon Cards. I grew up playing all the Pokémon videogames and obsessed with the lore of the series. Naturally, I instantly fell in love with collecting these cards and I learned how to play the card game. This is my current hobby at the moment. I am always informed when there are new card releases, and since the collecting space is competitive especially with scalpers, I remain vigilant for any restocks in retail and game stores. With all of these collections taking a good amount of my time, I have reflected in the perspectives of Russell and Rubin that this is what gives me zest, and this hobby is caused by the siren call of objects. It is what has driven me to become interested in life and something that I always thought has given me uniqueness about myself. The feeling of finding a rare Hot Wheel, securing a limited-edition vinyl, perfecting my gear for the next airsoft event, reeling a new species of fish, or pulling a rare Pokémon card is something that I try to chase everyday. It gives me tremendous amounts of joy, and it often overshadows the amount of money I spent to get that feeling of happiness.

       Collections and hobbies have made me happy throughout my life. However, is it a product of overconsumption? Russell does not speak about this issue in his book, and in my opinion, it is because of the era the book was written in. During the times of the great depression, I doubt their main concern would be overconsumption. Rubin does not refer to this issue as well. Since Rubin comes from an upper middle-class background, this does not seem to be a concern of hers as well. When I think critically about the collections that I have, it is clear that a yard-sale would be a healthy option. However, I do not want to let go of these things. My first reason is that it has sentimental value. The music vinyl that I own is often associated with a memory of the past. The Pokémon cards that I have in my binder mean something to my 7-year-old version of myself. How can I possibly let go of something that defines who I am? Furthermore, some items that I own have appreciating market values. A Hot Wheel that I bought from 2022 for $30 is now worth $600. My limited-edition Wu-Tang/Marvel Comics collaboration for their album ‘Contest of Champions’ is worth 10x of what I bought it years ago. Why should I let go of something that will be a family heirloom that will pass down from generation to generation? To answer my own questions, I took a step back and analyzed why I collect in the first place. Taking pictures of these objects is more than sufficient to pass on to the next generation of my lineage. Writing down journals about my experiences with these hobbies would also work perfectly to keep the information alive for centuries. Therefore, despite collections being a valid reason to be happy, it has been riddled with monetization and predatory practices to keep collectors hooked. A couple years ago, a pack of Pokémon cards would cost around $4 at most. A box full of packs would be around $45, and rare cards would have reasonable market prices. Nowadays, a pack of Pokémon cards would cost you at least $10 retail, and $15 if bought from places like Facebook Marketplace. Boxes have increased up to $100 a unit, and people would resell it for twice the price. Influencers and collectors would manipulate card prices and make it incredibly difficult to buy rare cards leading to the hobby becoming expensive. This is a direct cause of capitalism. New adults today, specifically Millennials, cannot afford anything. Housing is expensive, brand-new cars are costly, and grocery prices are unbelievable. Therefore, Millennials do not own anything. By collecting cards and reselling products, they get the short but ethereal feeling of being in control. They have the feeling of actually owning something. The illusion of making money makes them happy, despite only making a few dollars off reselling things they bought for MSRP pricing. Capitalism promised these people that the wealth would trickle down and the system would reward the hardworking individual, but they were lied to. Someone who is born from a rich family could live without working a day in his life, and they will die richer than a person who has worked two jobs since they were 16 years old. Corporations have made it clear that there is a glass-ceiling for their workers. Despite the factory worker waking up early in the morning to work their job to the best of their ability- they will never be CEO. To top it all off, the factory worker will make less than one percent of the CEO’s salary, yet they are working a million times harder. It is no surprise that Millennials are incredibly invested in collections. It is the only time where they feel like they are truly in control of their lives, and for that temporary moment, they feel happy. Although collecting objects is a valid reason to give your life joy and purpose, it is a product of a well-designed system of overconsumption. Capitalism has deemed the middle to working class people that we can never own anything, so it gives us a brief distraction from the pains of life. It creates an illusion of prosperity and wealth. It is by design that we collect certain things. Since most collections include participation in capitalistic systems by monetization of new items and objects- collectors have no choice but to conform to capitalism.

       I believe collecting objects is a product of overconsumption and monetization by capitalism. It feels good to lie about how I am unique by collecting such general yet niche items, but in reality, this has always been my fate given to me by capitalism. The reason why I collect Hot Wheels is because my mother probably saw a commercial that had boys playing with toy cars and having fun. It introduced me to having my own collection, but it is not unique. Just like other boys playing with cars, our parents just wanted us to be happy. Capitalism offered them an item that could make us happy, and it was successful. The same could be said about vinyl collecting as well. What is stopping me from just listening to songs I like on Spotify? Why do I need a physical copy of an album I like to deem myself as a true ‘music fan’? Just like my criticism about the Millennials, I crave control. Owning a house in the future is a very hard task that I want to accomplish. You often hear stories from the past where a newly wed couple could own a house by the age of 22. In addition, they own two cars and have disposable income for vacations. This is no longer a possibility. So, owning vinyl makes me happy because I actually own something. Even when you stream songs on platforms like Spotify, you do not own it. Many people in my generation will probably turn 30 and have nothing to their name. Therefore, owning a piece of music gives us joy as we blast it through our speakers to block out the real world. Participating in airsoft events fulfills my need to feel some sense of brotherhood. Having a collection of different rifles and costumes makes it easy to integrate in established communities. The bond over the same interests is hard nowadays due to everyone being glued to their phones and not talking to one another. Therefore, having events and being active in niche activities gives you a sense of belonging in this world. Hobbies like fishing reconnects you to the outdoors and fulfills the primal instinct of hunting. Although I often release the fish after reeling it in- it satisfies something in my brain that is hard to describe. Of course, even if you want to be outside fishing all the time, money is still needed for such activities. With the gas prices rising everyday and products doubling in price- this hobby is slowly becoming unaffordable. Lastly, Pokémon cards are laced with nostalgia that keeps its collectors hooked. They know that Millennials grew up playing their videogames and cards, and with the lack of purchasing power this generation has, Millennials are trapped in an endless cycle of paying for their happiness. All of these hobbies that I have mentioned are monetized in some way. No matter how far you want to remove yourself from spending money for a collection, all roads lead to capitalism. However, why should I be nihilistic about this? I cannot do anything about this system. I am merely a man that has no influence towards corporations that have monetized our interests. Therefore, my attitude for collecting is always–do what makes you happy. I will try my best to criticize capitalism and its predatory practices, but at the end of the day, I will choose to participate in it because it makes me happy. I am openly a victim of their exploitation, but collecting items gives me purpose. Hopefully one day, this system will radically change. But for now, there is nothing I can do but to criticize it and participate in scholarly discussions to analyze the problems.

[1] Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun (New York: HarperCollins, 2009), 130.

[2] Rubin, 130.

[3] Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1930), 144.

[4] Russell, 149.

October 23, 2026