The Importance of Aspirational Consumption

I know many people who have bought closets and basements full of exercise equipment. Is there an upside in such aspirational thinking, even if the thought rarely translates into deed? For every box of quinoa that I bought, there have been approximately one trillion articles written about the benefits of quinoa. And I've read them all. By the way, it's quite good. How do you know you haven't made your quinoa? I've eaten it out.