According to Schor, this movement stalled in the wake of the Great Depression and World War II but jump-started in the 1950s. When more products can be made, more can be purchased. When mass production began in the 1920s, American consumer culture started to blossom. Sociologist Juliet Schor says the impulse to spend comes from a need to feel valued within reference groups-people who matter to a specific consumer, like family and friends. In fact, Americans spend an average of nearly $1,500 per month on nonessential items and make an average of five monthly impulse buys, according to a 2019 survey by OnePoll for Ladder.
