THE SILVER LINING OF MATERIALISM
J Happiness Stud
DOI 10.1007/s10902-011-9271-9
The Silver Lining of Materialism: The Impact of Luxury
Consumption on Subjective Well-Being
Liselot Hudders • Mario Pandelaere
Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011
Abstract 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.
Keywords Materialism Á Luxury consumption Á
DOI 10.1007/s10902-011-9271-9
The Silver Lining of Materialism: The Impact of Luxury
Consumption on Subjective Well-Being
Liselot Hudders • Mario Pandelaere
Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011
Abstract 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.
Keywords Materialism Á Luxury consumption Á
References: Ahuvia, A. C. (2001). Well-being in cultures of choice: A cross-cultural perspective. American Psychologist, 54(1), 77–79. Ahuvia, A. C. (2002). Individualism/collectivism and cultures of happiness: A theoretical conjecture on the relationship between consumption and subjective well-being at the national level Ahuvia, A. C. (2008). If money doesn’t make us happy, why do we act as if it does? Journal of Economic Psychology, 29(4), 491–507. Ahuvia, A. C., & Wong, N. Y. (2002). Personality and values based materialism: Their relationship and origins Allred, A., Valentin, E. K., & Chakraborty, G. (2010). Pricing risky services: Preference and quality considerations Andrews, F. M., & Withey, S. B. (1976). Social indicators of well-being: America ‘s perception of life quality Angeles, L. (2010). A closer look at the Easterlin paradox. Journal of Socio-Economics. doi: 10.1016/j.socec.2010.06.017. Arndt, J., Solomon, S., Kasser, T., & Sheldon, K. M. (2004). The urge to splurge: A terror management account of materialism and consumer behavior Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. Bearden, W. O., Netemeyer, R. G., & Teel, J. E. (1989). Measurement of consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence Belk, R. W. (1984). Three scales to measure constructs related to materialism: Reliability, validity, and relationships to measures of happiness Belk, R. W. (1985). Materialism: Trait aspects of living in the material world. Journal of Consumer Research, 12(4), 265–280. Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(3), 139–168. Berry, C. I. (1994). The idea of luxury: A conceptual and historical investigation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bettingen, J., & Luedicke, M. K. (2009). Can brands make us happy? A research framework for the study of brands and their effects on happiness Biswas-Diener, R., Diener, E., & Tamir, M. (2004). The psychology of subjective well-being. Daedalus, 133, 18–25. Boes, S., & Winkelmann, R. (2010). The effect of income on general life satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Bryant, F. B. (2003). Savoring beliefs inventory (SBI): A scale for measuring beliefs about savoring. Budiman, A., & O’Cass, A. G. (2007). Studying the effects of materialism, religiosity and status consumption on subjective well-being: An Indonesian perspective. ANZMAC 2007 conference. Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Burroughs, J. E., & Rindfleisch, A. (2002). Materialism and well-being: A conflicting values perspective. Busseri, M. A., Sadava, S., Molnar, D., & DeCourville, N. (2009). A person-centered approach to subjective well-being Caniato, F., Caridi, M., Castelli, C. M., & Golini, R. (2009). A contingency approach for SC strategy in the Italian luxury industry: Do consolidated models fit? International Journal of Production Economics, Caporale, G. M., Georgellis, Y., Tsitsianis, N., & Yin, Y. P. (2009). Income and happiness across Europe: Do reference values matter? Journal of Economic Psychology, 30(1), 42–51. Catry, B. (2003). The great pretenders: The magic of luxury goods. Business Strategy Review, 14(3), 10–17. Chaplin, L. N., & Roedder John, D. (2007). Growing up in a material world: Age differences in materialism in children and adolescents Chevalier, M., & Mazzalovo, G. (2008). Luxury brand management: A world of privilege. Singapore: Wiley. Christopher, A. N., Kuo, V., Abraham, K. M., Noel, L. W., & Linz, H. E. (2004). Materialism and affective well-being: The role of social support Christopher, A. N., Lasane, T. P., Troisi, J. D., & Park, L. E. (2007). Materialism, defensive and assertive self-presentational styles, and life satisfaction Christopher, A. N., Saliba, L., & Deadmarsh, E. J. (2009). Materialism and well-being: The mediating effect of locus of control Christopher, A. N., & Schlenker, B. R. (2004). Materialism and affect: The role of self-presentational concerns Clark, R. A., Zboja, J. J., & Goldsmith, R. E. (2007). Status consumption and role-relaxed consumption: A tale of two retail consumers Coffman, D. L., & MacCallum, R. C. (2005). Using parcels to convert path analysis models into latent variable models Crawford, J. R., & Henry, J. D. (2004). The positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS): Construct validity, measurement properties and normative data in a large non-clinical sample Csikszentmihaliyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life. New York: Basic Books. Csikszentmihaliyi, M., & Rochberg-Halton, E. (1981). The meaning of things. Domestic symbols and the self Cummins, R. A. (2000). Personal income and subjective well-being: A review. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1(2), 133–158. Danziger, P. (2005). Let them eat cake: Marketing luxury to the masses—as well as the classes. Chicago: Dearborn Trade Publishing. Deckop, J. R., Jurckiewicz, C. L., & Giacalone, R. A. (2010). Effects of materialism on work-related personal well-being DeLeire, T., & Kalil, A. (2010). Does consumption buy happiness? Evidence from the United States. DiClemente, D. F., & Hantula, D. A. (2003). Applied behavioral economics and consumer choice. Journal of Economic Psychology, 24(5), 589–602. Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575. Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being. The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larson, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. Diener, E., Kahneman, D., Tov, W., & Arora, R. (2009). Income’s differential influence on judgments of life versus affective wellbeing Diener, E., Ng, W., Harter, J., & Arora, R. (2010). Wealth and happiness across the world: Material