It's probably a mix. Plenty of people have children and want to provide them a safe and strong launchpad, and "cut back hours and enjoy life" won't do that. Con

It's probably a mix. Plenty of people have children and want to provide them a safe and strong launchpad, and "cut back hours and enjoy life" won't do that. Consumption and status symbols are part of the game, though I don't think it's really a question of buying a new car every few years for average people, that's out of reach for a large part of society. You don't need to play the game, but being inside the game also provides security. Humans are very social, the odd outlier that prefers his own company and is happy to trade comfort and safety for simplicity and freedom really is an exception.