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

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

doi:10.1007/s11031-013-9371-4

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

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

Department of Education

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

249 Scopus citations

Abstract

Few studies have examined how changes in materialism relate to changes in well-being; fewer have experimentally manipulated materialism to change well-being. 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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-22
Number of pages	22
Journal	Motivation and Emotion
Volume	38
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-013-9371-4
State	Published - Feb 2014

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Acknowledgments The 18-year-old data collection in Study 1 was supported by the W. T. Grant Foundation (Grant 88113087); the 30-year-old data collection was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant 1 P50 MH-59396). Study 2 was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH-53385). Study 4 was supported by a grant from the Marjorie Weil and Marvin Edward Mitchell Foundation. The authors thank Clara Baldwin, Melvin Zax, and Jill Gray for their assistance with Study 1 and Cicely Robinson for her assistance with Study 4.

Keywords

Goals
Interventions
Materialism
Values
Well-being

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1007/s11031-013-9371-4

Cite this

Kasser, T., Rosenblum, K. L., Sameroff, A. J., Deci, E. L., Niemiec, C. P., Ryan, R. M., Árnadóttir, O., Bond, R., Dittmar, H., Dungan, N., & Hawks, S. (2014). Changes in materialism, changes in psychological well-being: Evidence from three longitudinal studies and an intervention experiment. Motivation and Emotion, 38(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-013-9371-4

@article{3060b56ffce14a528450b0e90c9428ca,

title = "Changes in materialism, changes in psychological well-being: Evidence from three longitudinal studies and an intervention experiment",

abstract = "Few studies have examined how changes in materialism relate to changes in well-being; fewer have experimentally manipulated materialism to change well-being. 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.",

keywords = "Goals, Interventions, Materialism, Values, Well-being",

author = "Tim Kasser and Rosenblum, \{Katherine L.\} and Sameroff, \{Arnold J.\} and Deci, \{Edward L.\} and Niemiec, \{Christopher P.\} and Ryan, \{Richard M.\} and Osp {\'A}rnad{\'o}ttir and Rod Bond and Helga Dittmar and Nathan Dungan and Susan Hawks",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgments The 18-year-old data collection in Study 1 was supported by the W. T. Grant Foundation (Grant 88113087); the 30-year-old data collection was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant 1 P50 MH-59396). Study 2 was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH-53385). Study 4 was supported by a grant from the Marjorie Weil and Marvin Edward Mitchell Foundation. The authors thank Clara Baldwin, Melvin Zax, and Jill Gray for their assistance with Study 1 and Cicely Robinson for her assistance with Study 4.",

year = "2014",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1007/s11031-013-9371-4",

language = "English",

volume = "38",

pages = "1--22",

journal = "Motivation and Emotion",

issn = "0146-7239",

publisher = "Springer New York",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Changes in materialism, changes in psychological well-being

T2 - Evidence from three longitudinal studies and an intervention experiment

AU - Kasser, Tim

AU - Rosenblum, Katherine L.

AU - Sameroff, Arnold J.

AU - Deci, Edward L.

AU - Niemiec, Christopher P.

AU - Ryan, Richard M.

AU - Árnadóttir, Osp

AU - Bond, Rod

AU - Dittmar, Helga

AU - Dungan, Nathan

AU - Hawks, Susan

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgments The 18-year-old data collection in Study 1 was supported by the W. T. Grant Foundation (Grant 88113087); the 30-year-old data collection was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant 1 P50 MH-59396). Study 2 was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH-53385). Study 4 was supported by a grant from the Marjorie Weil and Marvin Edward Mitchell Foundation. The authors thank Clara Baldwin, Melvin Zax, and Jill Gray for their assistance with Study 1 and Cicely Robinson for her assistance with Study 4.

PY - 2014/2

Y1 - 2014/2

N2 - Few studies have examined how changes in materialism relate to changes in well-being; fewer have experimentally manipulated materialism to change well-being. 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.

AB - Few studies have examined how changes in materialism relate to changes in well-being; fewer have experimentally manipulated materialism to change well-being. 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.

KW - Goals

KW - Interventions

KW - Materialism

KW - Values

KW - Well-being

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84895902108

U2 - 10.1007/s11031-013-9371-4

DO - 10.1007/s11031-013-9371-4

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84895902108

SN - 0146-7239

VL - 38

SP - 1

EP - 22

JO - Motivation and Emotion

JF - Motivation and Emotion

IS - 1

ER -

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

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this