affluenza means A feeling of dissatisfaction, anxiety, etc., caused by the dogged and ongoing pursuit of more goods and possessions. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
affluenza is pronounced /ˌæf.luːˈɛn.zə/.
Why “affluenza” is a great word
AFFLUENZA — [Noun] A psychological malaise or social condition, characterized by dissatisfaction, anxiety, and a lack of motivation, purportedly caused by the relentless pursuit of material wealth and consumerism. A blend of 'affluence' (abundance of wealth) and 'influenza' (an infectious disease), suggesting wealth as a contagious social illness. First attested in the 1970s. Unlike 'materialism' (which denotes a philosophical emphasis on possessions) or 'conspicuous consumption' (which describes the public display of wealth for status), affluenza names the private pathology of that pursuit's aftermath. It is the hollow clink of champagne glasses in a too-quiet mansion, the leaden silence after the shopping bags are emptied, and the listless gaze at a wall of unopened luxury goods—the quiet proof that a surfeit of means can create a poverty of ends.
noun
- A feeling of dissatisfaction, anxiety, etc., caused by the dogged and ongoing pursuit of more goods and possessions.“The tension heightens when speaking about "affluenza" from within the economic cultures of Western countries and in particular our North American society. We do live quite privileged lives. Our privileges have clearly become expectations. […] Affluenza has been defined as a cultural disease of excess—an excess that seldom satiates the desire for more. The virus is identified by its symptoms: the f”