This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Imagine you have a bag you really like. It felt like "the one" when you bought it.
Over time, it starts to look worn. There are some scuffs on it. Nothing is actually wrong with the bag, and it still works exactly as it should.
Yet, once you notice those imperfections, you start thinking about buying a new one to replace it. Consumers do this all the time. They replace phones that still work, furniture with a scratch and sweaters with a small snag.
Often, what has changed is how people see these items. We are marketing researchers who study why people buy, use and get rid of stuff. This obsession with perfection began when one of us, Aprajita Gautam, moved from India to the U.S. in 2019.
She was struck by how different the culture of buying and owning things was in the two countries. In our peer-reviewed research paper, published in August 2026 in the Journal of Consumer Research, we identified one reason for this pattern: Some people care much more than others about having flawless things. We call this penchant a desire for perfect products.
We began by interviewing 17 people in Austin, Texas, in 2023. They included real estate agents, entrepreneurs, stay-at-home mothers and people employed by a nonprofit that promotes reuse. We asked them about their possessions and what made things seem perfect or imperfect.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
