“Man will do many many things to get himself loved; he will do all things to get himself envied.”   – Mark Twain 

Spotting esteem addicts can be tricky. For example, many SUV drivers have practical reasons for buying their environmentally unfriendly vehicles. At the same time, significant numbers of hybrid vehicle owners admit they were willing to pay thousands of dollars extra for underpowered and uncomfortable cars specifically to feed their esteem needs.

OK, so most hybrid owners didn’t actually admit or even understand that dopamine made them choose cars to feed esteem needs. What we do know is when Honda and Toyota introduced their first hybrids, the Toyota hybrid was a huge success and the Honda hybrid an enormous failure. Why? Because the first wave of drivers who rushed out to buy hybrids wanted the world to think they were special. Toyota won the sales race hands down by introducing a new and impossible-to-miss Prius. Honda lost because they dropped their hybrid engine into an old model nobody noticed.

It seems safe to say that while many Prius drivers are genuinely concerned about the environment, an awful lot of them aren’t all that different from insecure Hummer owners who care much more about boosting their image than about money, gas, or pollution.

What do you think?

Is it possible to explain to Hummer or Prius drivers who are angered by this post that their reactions are a symptom of esteem addiction?