Glasgow: Well-being, materialism and the values of consumer capitalism

1. Glasgow: Well-being, materialism and the values of consumer capitalism Monday 12 December 2011 Parish Halls, Glasgow

2. Well-being, Materialism & the Values of Consumer Capitalism:A View from the Psychological Literature Tim Kasser, Ph.D.

3. Advertisements

4. Advertisements

5. Materialism’s allure • The percentage of incoming American First-year college students reporting it is “very important” or “essential” to be:

6. American Freshman survey

7. Political Discourse • “…the American people have got to go about their business. We cannot let the terrorists achieve the objective of frightening our nation to the point where we don’t conduct business, where people don’t shop” (reported in The New York Times, October 12, 2001)

8. Messages • Can purchase happiness • Important to work and consume • Life is meaningful and people are successful to the extent they have money, possessions, and the right image • Is this true?

9. Measuring Materialism • Values strategy (e.g., Kasser & Ryan, 1993, 1996) • Rate many goals, guiding principles, (e.g., family, spirituality, fun, etc.) • Sample materialistic items • You will have a job that pays well • You will have many expensive possessions • You will achieve the “look” you’ve been after • You will be admired by many people • Examine relative importance of goals • All of us are somewhat materialistic

10. Measuring Materialism • Survey methods (e.g., Belk, 1985, Richins & Dawson, 1992) • Rate agreement with statements • Sample Items • My life would be better if I owned certain things I don’t have. • I like to own things that impress people. • I like a lot of luxury in my life. • I would rather buy something I need than borrow it from someone else.

11. Well-being

12. Higher: Anxiety Depression Physical Symptoms Unpleasant emotions Drug & Alcohol Use Lower Self-actualization Vitality Life Satisfaction Pleasant Emotions Diminished HappinessKasser & Ryan, 1993, 1996, 2001; Sheldon & Kasser, 1995, 1998, 2001

13. Types of people Middle & High School students College Students Adults Business People Countries Australia Denmark Germany Hungary India Russia Singapore S. Korea United Kingdom Found in many samples

14. Found across timeTwenge et al. (2010) • Over 63,000 college students who completed the MMPI between 1930s and 2007 • General increases in most scales

17. Found across timeTwenge et al. (2010) • Twenge tested 3 models to explain increase • Economic cycles (unemployment rate) • Response styles • Increase in materialistic values

18. American Freshman survey

19. Found across timeTwenge et al. (2010) • Best fitting model was materialistic values

20. Found across nationsKasser (2011) • UNICEF (2007) ranked the well-being of youth in 21 wealthy nations • Based on 40 indicators such as: • % of children in poverty • % of children immunized • Literacy rates • Family structure & Peer relationships • Drug Use • Life satisfaction & Happiness

21. Austria Belgium Canada Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom United States Found across nationsKasser (2011)

22. Austria Belgium Canada Czech Republic Denmark (3) Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Netherlands (1) Norway Poland Portugal Spain Sweden (2) Switzerland United Kingdom United States Found across nationsKasser (2011)

23. Austria Belgium Canada Czech Republic Denmark (3) Finland France Germany Greece Hungary (19) Ireland Italy Netherlands (1) Norway Poland Portugal Spain Sweden (2) Switzerland United Kingdom (21) United States (20) Found across nationsKasser (2011)

24. Found across nationsKasser (2011) • Value data based on multiple samples of adults, teachers, and undergraduates • Materialistic values for money, power, and status • Non-materialistic values for helpfulness, equality, and social justice • Schwartz (2007)

25. Ill-Being Materialistic vs. Non-materialistic Values

26. Two-fold Strategy Materialism

27. Two-fold Strategy Materialism Causes

28. Two-fold Strategy Materialism Causes

29. Two-fold Strategy Materialism Causes Healthy Values

30. Two-fold Strategy Healthy Values Causes Material- ism

31. Causes - Social Modeling(Kasser et al. 2004) • Higher if parents & peers care • Banerjee & Dittmar (2008); Kasser et al. (1995) • Higher if ingest more media • Nairn et al. (2007); Schor (2004) • Higher if live in neo-liberal, de-regulated, highly free-market capitalist nation • Kasser (2007, 2011); Schwartz (2007)

32. Healthy ValuesGrouzet, Kasser et al. (2005) • Assessed aspirations in 11 domains • e.g., Spirituality, Hedonism, Affiliation, Health, etc. • >1800 College students in 15 nations • Circular Stochastic Modeling • Adjacent goals are consistent • Opposing goals are conflictual

36. Intrinsic ValuesKasser & Ryan (1996) • Self-acceptance “I will follow my interests and curiosity where they take me.” • Affiliation “I will express my love for special people.” • Community Feeling “I will help the world become a better place.”

37. Psychological Benefits • More happiness • More life satisfaction • Higher vitality • Less depression • Less anxiety • Fewer physical symptoms

38. Two-fold Strategy Healthy Values Causes Material- ism

39. Avenues for Change in a City • City Planning • Protection from Advertising • City-indices of Progress

40. City Planning

41. City Planning

42. City PlanningWeinstein et al. (2009) • Conducted 4 studies exposing people to photos of natural or human-made scenes • Measured feelings of immersion in scene • Then assessed importance of Materialistic vs. Intrinsic Aspirations

43. Materialistic AspirationsWeinstein et al. (2009)

44. Materialistic AspirationsWeinstein et al. (2009)

45. Intrinsic AspirationsWeinstein et al. (2009)

46. Intrinsic AspirationsWeinstein et al. (2009)

47. City Planning • Are land and city finances devoted to shopping areas or to parks and green spaces?

48. Protection from Advertising

49. Protection from Advertising

50. Protection from Advertising • Numerous studies show associations between advertising and materialism • Nairn et al. (2007); Schor (2004) • Mere activation of money-related ideas suppresses intrinsic values • Maio et al. (2009); Vohs et al. (2006) • Lo SES parents in UK feel extra pressure to provide children with brands • UNICEF (2011)