Authors: Liselot Hudders Mario Pandelaere
Publish Date: 2011/05/04
Volume: 13, Issue: 3, Pages: 411-437
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 wellbeing In spite of this many people continue to pursue materialistic goals rather than pursue goals that are more beneficial for their wellbeing 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 wellbeing aspects simultaneously in a structural model The results of a large scale survey in Dutchspeaking 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 longterm adverse consequences for self and society
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