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Changes in materialism, changes in psychological well-being: evidence from three longitudinal studies and an intervention experiment

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 16:23 authored by Tim Kasser, Katherine L. Rosenblum, Arnold J. Sameroff, Edward L. Deci, Christopher P. Niemiec, Richard M. Ryan, Osp Árnadóttir, Rod Bond, Helga Dittmar, Nathan Dungan, Susan Hawks
Few studies have examined how changes in materialism relate to changes in well-being; fewer have experimentally manipulated materialism to change wellbeing. Studies 1, 2, and 3 examined how changes in materialistic aspirations related to changes in well-being, using varying time frames (12 years, 2 years, and 6 months), samples (US young adults and Icelandic adults), and measures of materialism and well-being. Across all three studies, results supported the hypothesis that people’s well-being improves as they place relatively less importance on materialistic goals and values, whereas orienting toward materialistic goals relatively more is associated with decreases in well-being over time. Study 2 additionally demonstrated that this association was mediated by changes in psychological need satisfaction. A fourth, experimental study showed that highly materialistic US adolescents who received an intervention that decreased materialism also experienced increases in self-esteem over the next several months, relative to a control group. Thus, well-being changes as people change their relative focus on materialistic goals.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Motivation and Emotion

ISSN

0146-7239

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Issue

1

Volume

38

Page range

1-22

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2013-11-21

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2013-11-21

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