The Problematic Role of Materialistic Values in the Pursuit of Sustainable Well-Being

Abstract

Strong materialistic values help to maintain consumer capitalism, but they can have negative consequences for individual well-being, for social equity and for environmental sustainability. In this paper, we add to the existing literature on the adverse consequences of materialistic values by highlighting their negative association with engagement in attitudes and actions that support the achievement of sustainable well-being. To do this, we explore the links between materialistic values and attitudes towards sufficiency (consuming “just enough”) as well as mindfulness (non-judgmental awareness of the present moment) and flow (total immersion in an activity), which have all been linked to increased well-being and more sustainable behaviours. We present results from three correlational studies that examine the association between materialistic values and sufficiency attitudes (Study 1, n = 310), a multi-faceted measure of mindfulness (Study 2, n = 468) and the tendency to experience flow (Study 3, n = 2000). Results show that materialistic values were negatively associated with sufficiency attitudes, mindfulness, and flow experiences. We conclude with practical considerations and suggest next steps for tackling the problematic aspects of materialism and encouraging the development of sustainable well-being.

Flow Experiences in Shopping Activities: Testing Materialistic Goal Orientation as an Antecedent

“…Work conducted so far has documented a negative association between materialism and flow experiences . Results from Isham et al (2021a;2021b) and demonstrated, using cross-sectional surveys, that those individuals reporting stronger materialistic goals and values also tended to be less flow prone. That is, materialistic individuals are less likely to experience the characteristics of flow in their day-to-day lives.…”

“…Whilst the negative effect of materialistic goals on flow experiences has been demonstrated in previous work, studies are only beginning to try to understand why strong materialistic goals may have their flow-limiting effects. Isham et al (2021b) explored the potential role of self-regulationwhich refers to each individual's ability to manage their own thoughts, emotions and behavioursin explaining this negative relationship. They found that more materialistic individuals tended to have lower trait levels of self-regulatory strength which, in turn, was linked to a lesser tendency to experience flow in their daily lives.…”

“…What's more, the way in which individuals use their selfregulatory strength also seems to be relevant for understanding why materialistic values and goals are negatively associated with flow experiences. Isham et al (2021b) found that highly materialistic individuals tended to try to avoid being in contact with negative thoughts, feelings, and events. The avoidance of negative states appeared to be negatively related with the tendency to experience flow, and this effect was partly explained by the fact that trying to avoid negative states was linked to lower levels of self-regulatory strength.…”

“…Studies have documented that individuals with a stronger materialistic goal orientation tend to be less inclined to experience flow (Isham et al, 2021a). In some cases, it has been demonstrated that experimentally increasing the salience of materialistic goals can directly undermine the experience of flow (Isham et al, 2021b). Given the focus on promoting flow in more environmentally friendly activities, this field of research has tended to examine flow in contexts that do not necessarily incur high environmental costs such as artwork or meditation.…”

What’s to Eat and Drink on Campus? Public and Planetary Health, Public Higher Education, and the Public Good

“…However, the main goal of campus discussion and advocacy will need to be convincing campus administrators to move beyond neoliberal logic and implement the campus public-good mission in the food environment. Therefore, acknowledgement of and “systematic engagement” with the neoliberal assumptions [ 71 , 72 ] driving PHEI business policies is needed, including the moral values embedded in those assumptions [ 69 , 115 , 119 ], followed by discussion of how to prioritize public-good values and policies that respond adequately to the public and planetary health crisis, e.g., degrowth instead of economic growth, ecological economics instead of neoclassical economics, and sufficiency instead of superfluous consumption [ 15 , 112 , 120 ].…”