The famous 19th century phrase, “less is more,” first noted in an 1855 poem by Robert Browning is part of a greater context of ideas we see in society today.
Through its interpretation, this phrase has also made its way to being associated with modern architecture and design, focusing on the simplicity of style.
While the meaning and origins of the phrase are rooted in history, it’s the phrase we are seeing permeate vast arenas of young peoples' lives today.
As more young people choose to call large-scale cities home and brush the ideas of saving for the future to the backburner for the time being, a series of patterns have emerged.
The Millennial generation specifically is, by far, one of the most bizarre demographics to understand.
Whether analyzing from a social, political or economic lens, many Millennial traits and habits test the status quo. We are progressively liberal, less religious, more educated and choosing to live life in a way that drives economists crazy.
Millennials are more and more on trend to influence and leave their legacies on this planet in greater numbers. However, if one mantra sets them apart, it is "less is more."
The days of planning and saving for your future are pretty much gone.
This generation no longer feels the need to give in to social pressures to marry before age 30, stay in the same job for their entire lives or save every penny for a down payment or retirement fund.
This generation can interpret "less is more" in several ways; however, one increasingly significant trend is how we consume (or rather, don't consume). In fact, some may even say Generation-Y is slowly becoming less materialistic.
We are choosing to give material objects less weight and clout and instead, turn our minds to seek out experiences that make us culturally richer.
"Richer" does not have to correlate to money, however with an insane amount of trendy young people choosing to ditch corporate life for more creative ways to live, the trend is making many wonder how the future will move forward.
Millennials value the idea of living in crowded, fast-paced cities, where you don’t need a car.
We don’t mind living in crammed and expensive apartments, compared to the sprawling suburbs in which many of us grew up.
However, most importantly, we value these experiences as real-world teachings that offer an abundance of insight and exposure to how society changes.
This approach to take on less in life and focus more on gaining real-world experience is what makes our minds richer than our bank accounts.
More of us value the personal growth and life experience over buying new state-of-the-art entertainment centers.
We only acquire possessions that will make our daily lives preform better and we value experiences that remain rich in social dialogue, as these traits last forever.
The "less is more" concept may have several ways of being understood, but Generation-Y sees significance in paving a society to become free of cluttered consumption and more reliant on real-world engagement and substance.
These ideas lead Generation-Y to believe it is far richer in sprit and experience than those from preceding eras.
As consumption habits shift around the world, younger people's interests get sparked to want to further invest in growth of experiences, resulting in simpler ways of life.
