Wanting more than you have and it’s Consequences for Well-being

Norris, J. Ian; Larsen, Jeff T.

doi:10.1007/s10902-010-9232-8

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…So, the rewards materialists derive from their luxury consumption may impede the learning of more rewarding activities. The temporary satisfaction of material wants may further increase the probability that such wants re-emerge after a short while (Norris and Larsen 2010;Vohs and Baumeister 2007). These processes may ''lock in'' materialists in their lifestyle, irrespective of the long-term adverse consequences for self and society.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Silver Lining of Materialism: The Impact of Luxury Consumption on Subjective Well-Being

2011

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Materialism is a way of life characterized by the pursuit of wealth and possessions. Several studies have documented that a materialistic lifestyle is associated with diminished subjective well-being. In spite of this, many people continue to pursue materialistic goals rather than pursue goals that are more beneficial for their well-being. The current paper investigates one mechanism that may contribute to the continued pursuit of materialism. In particular, we propose that luxury consumption may reinforce a materialistic lifestyle. To test this possibility, we investigate the relations between luxury consumption, materialism and cognitive and affective subjective well-being aspects simultaneously, in a structural model. The results of a large scale survey in Dutch-speaking Belgium demonstrate that materialistic consumers are more inclined to consume luxury goods than less materialistic consumers. In addition, luxury consumption leads to enhanced positive mood, diminished negative mood and increased satisfaction with life. Furthermore, although the impact on negative and positive mood is not moderated by materialism, the impact of luxury consumption on satisfaction with life is more pronounced for materialistic consumers than for less materialistic consumers. Together, these results indicate that materialistic consumers not only engage more in luxury consumption than less materialistic consumers, but also benefit more from it (at least in the short run). As a result, luxury consumption may be more rewarding for the former than for the latter and consequently, ''lock in'' materialists in their lifestyle, irrespective of the long-term adverse consequences for self and society.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Silver Lining of Materialism: The Impact of Luxury Consumption on Subjective Well-Being

2011

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“…Participants were 101 undergraduates at a regional Southeastern University (65% female, M age = 19.9). Participants first responded to a subsample of 10 items used in Study 1 (Table ; from Norris & Larsen, ) with the prompt “is a [cell phone] something you need, or something you want?” They then indicated whether or not they had the item. If they had the item, they indicated the extent to which they needed the item on a 9‐point scale from 0 ( do not need at all ) to 8 ( need very much ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Participants were 101 undergraduates at a regional Southeastern University (65% female, M age = 19.9). Participants first responded to a subsample of 10 items used in Study 1 (Table 1; from Norris & Larsen, 2011) Note Need-have is the extent to which participants reported needing the items they already owned. * * * , * * , and * denote significance at p < 0.001, 0.01, and 0.05, respectively.…”

Section: Study 2 Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Do We Really Need? Goals and Values, Security, and the Perception of Consumer Necessity

Norris

Williams

2016

Psychology and Marketing

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There is a general trend for consumer goods considered luxuries to become thought of as necessities. Although the luxury/necessity distinction is central to the fields of marketing and economics, little research has examined the perception of necessity as a psychological phenomenon. Three studies examined the relationship of the perceived necessity of a variety of consumer goods to goals, values, and insecurity. In Study 1, the number of goods considered necessities as opposed to luxuries correlated negatively with intrinsic and positively with extrinsic goal pursuit. In Study 2, this pattern generalized to the distinction between needs and wants, the extent to which participants reported needing their possessions, and to materialistic values. In Study 3, the perception of necessity mediated the relationship between anxious attachment and materialism, suggesting that needing consumer products has in part a basis in interpersonal insecurity. In turn, it may facilitate materialistic consumption.

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“…It has been proposed they are aware of this gap between their ideal (e.g., high standards) and real self and this awareness may explain why materialists are less satisfied with life (Garoarsdottir, Dittmar, & Aspinall, 2009;Otero-Lopez, Pol, Bolano, & Marino, 2011), more depressed (Norris & Larsen, 2011), stressed (Burroughs & Rindfleisch, 2002, anxious (Kashdan & Breen, 2007), and have lower self-esteem (Richins & Dawson, 1992). Not surprisingly, materialists' dissatisfaction with their life and their value system results in the pursuit of happiness through material possessions (Richins & Dawson, 1992) as they attempt to reduce the discrepancy between their real and ideal selves by making irrational financial decisions (Dittmar, 2005;Richins, 2011).…”

Section: Why Do Materialists Not Manage Their Money?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Big Five personality traits, material values, and financial well-being of self-described money managers

Donnelly¹,

Iyer²,

Howell³

2012

Journal of Economic Psychology

192

153

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Wanting more than you have and it’s Consequences for Well-being

Abstract: Wanting more, Happiness, well-being, Materialism, Have-want discrepancies, Wanting what one has, Desire fulfillment,

Cited by 26 publications

References 15 publications

The Silver Lining of Materialism: The Impact of Luxury Consumption on Subjective Well-Being

The Silver Lining of Materialism: The Impact of Luxury Consumption on Subjective Well-Being

What Do We Really Need? Goals and Values, Security, and the Perception of Consumer Necessity

The Big Five personality traits, material values, and financial well-being of self-described money managers

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