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"Burden of Poverty Lacking money or time can lead one to make poorer decisions, possibly because poverty imposes a cognitive load that saps attention and reduces effort. Mani et al. (p. 976; see the Perspective by Vohs) gathered evidence from shoppers in a New Jersey mall and from farmers in Tamil Nadu, India. They found that considering a projected financial decision, such as how to pay for a car repair, affects people's performance on unrelated spatial and reasoning tasks. Lower-income individuals performed poorly if the repairs were expensive but did fine if the cost was low, whereas higher-income individuals performed well in both conditions, as if the projected financial burden imposed no cognitive pressure. Similarly, the sugarcane farmers from Tamil Nadu performed these tasks better after harvest than before. Abstract The poor often behave in less capable ways, which can further perpetuate poverty. We hypothesize that poverty directly impedes cognitive function and present two studies that test this hypothesis. First, we experimentally induced thoughts about finances and found that this reduces cognitive performance among poor but not in well-off participants. Second, we examined the cognitive function of farmers over the planting cycle. We found that the same farmer shows diminished cognitive performance before harvest, when poor, as compared with after harvest, when rich. This cannot be explained by differences in time available, nutrition, or work effort. Nor can it be explained with stress: Although farmers do show more stress before harvest, that does not account for diminished cognitive performance. Instead, it appears that poverty itself reduces cognitive capacity. We suggest that this is because poverty-related concerns consume mental resources, leaving less for other tasks. These data provide a previously unexamined perspective and help explain a spectrum of behaviors among the poor. We discuss some implications for poverty policy."

"Visible mending (VM) is different from traditional mending in that it makes the repair a focal point, rather than blending it into the original garment. There are many reasons for this, from drawing attention to the fact that a garment's lifespan has been prolonged and challenging the notion that secondhand clothes are only worn by the poor, to making a statement about fast fashion's reputation for disintegration or simply adding a personalized touch. "

"La decisión de la empresa de cámaras Nikon de rescindir los contratos de servicio técnico de sus dispositivos reavivó el debate por el derecho a reparar. Con la emergencia climática respirándonos en el cuello, una de las tantas preguntas que nos hacemos permanentemente es cómo combatir el consumo acelerado de dispositivos electrónicos. Es decir, cómo lograr que nuestras computadoras, teléfonos y otros electrónicos nos duren lo máximo posible para evitar la extracción de minerales e hidrocarburos y reducir la basura electrónica. En definitiva, de lo que se trata, es de combatir eso que llamamos obsolescencia programada y percibida defendiendo el derecho a reparar. La obsolescencia como motor del consumo La obsolescencia programada es la planificación, en la etapa de diseño, del fin de la vida útil de un producto tras un tiempo determinado de uso. Esta puede lograrse a través de la falta de repuestos, la baja calidad de los materiales, la programación del software, etc. Su objetivo es mantener la economía lineal de extracción materia prima, producción, consumo y descarte, sin tener en cuenta las consecuencias ambientales. Esta estrategia se asienta sobre la práctica de lanzar sistemáticamente al mercado nuevos productos con pequeños cambios de diseño que generen la sensación de que los que ya tenemos están viejos, obsoletos, o ya no sirven, y que necesitan ser renovados a pesar de estar en perfectas condiciones. Esta sensación que genera la falsa innovación se denomina obsolescencia percibida. El caso de las temporadas de la industria de la moda o los cambios año a año en los modelos de los celulares son un claro ejemplo de ello. Esto se logra gracias a grandes campañas publicitarias que asocian el consumo a una serie de valores identitarios."