Disengagement, Dysphoria, and the Pursuit: An Investigation of the Social and Affective Consequences of Materialism

It is argued that humans share a preoccupation with status, and that in modern times, the materialistic realm offers itself as the largest playing field for games of status. It is further argued that though this preoccupation may be useful from a certain point of view, and though the acquisition of status may be related to well-being, ample evidence suggests that endorsing goals and values related to the pursuit of status and possessions is negatively related to subjective well-being (SWB), well-being in general, as well as good social relationships, which have themselves been shown to contribute to well-being. Given that to this point, the evidence linking a concern with status and possessions to these negative outcomes has been largely correlational, it remains unclear whether a materialistic mindset causes lowered well-being and poor relationships, whether the direction of causality is reversed, or whether a third variable is involved. The studies presented in this paper aim to build on the research literature by experimentally examining the affective and social consequences of materialism. Study 1 confirmed that materialistic goals and values can be activated through priming. Study 2 confirmed that materialism leads to lowered SWB and that it negatively impacts the preference for social involvement. Study 3 further explored the social consequences of materialism. Though it failed to identify a variable that mediates the relationship between materialism and social disengagement, it shed some more light on social disengagmement under a materialistic mindset. Study 4 explored the experience of the pursuit of materialism. It confirmed that the experience of the pursuit of materialistic goals does not elicit enough interest, or satisfaction, to positively affect the likelihood of prioritizing the same type of goal again in the future. Overall, the findings suggest that a materialistic mindset negatively impacts SWB, as well as a deeper involvement with others. Additionally, the findings suggest that materialistic goals capture relatively little interest, particularly when one can draw on relevant recent experience.