Tag Archives: material possessions

Is the United States materialistic? The geography of consumption.

The belief that material possessions improve individuals’ personal and social well-being permeates America. However, contrary to this belief, multiple studies show that materialists, compared to non-materialists, have lower social and personal well-being. Compulsive and impulsive spending, increased debt, decreased savings, … Continue reading

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How can I Reduce my Compulsive Spending Habits?

Last week I wrote about how a lack of money management predicts individuals’ compulsive spending, regardless of their personality, gender, age, and income. These results were based on a study (Sadness, Identity, and Plastic in Over-shopping) published in the Journal of Economic Psychologywhich was conducted with two students of mine former … Continue reading

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Why Do Shopping Addicts Keep Spending Their Money?

Did you know that approximately 10 percent of adults in western countries are believed to have a compulsive spending disorder? Their spending habits lead them to lose control over their buying behavior, and this trend is on the rise. Interestingly, … Continue reading

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Money and Happiness: Materialists Not Happier When Purchasing Life Experiences

Every day more and more people are trying to understand the relationship between money and happiness. Numerous studies have shown that spending money on life experiences, compared to material possessions, improves psychological well-being. However, not everyone feels happier when purchasing life experiences. Psychologists … Continue reading

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What drives us to get our bling on

According to the urban dictionary, the term bling came in to the modern vocabulary in the 1990s, possibly imported from Jamaica by American rappers, and meant to indicate either the imagined play of light bouncing off shiny jewelry, or the sound … Continue reading

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Do Chick-magnets really work? Corvettes, Testosterone & Peahens

We all know the cliché of the middle-aged man who responds to a “mid-life crisis” by buying a Corvette. Other cultures and times have their own versions of the Corvette, but the principle appears to be universal: when men feel … Continue reading

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On the Lego, err… IKEA Effect, or: Mom, Dad. Look What I did!

I don’t know about you, but as a kid I loved playing with Legos. I never distinguished myself as a budding architect, and in those days, the suite of Lego building solutions wasn’t nearly as extensive as it is today. … Continue reading

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Why A Bird in My Hand is Worth Two Anywhere Else

Our natural inclination is to value what we already have more highly than others would. When considering whether it is worth hanging on to that stock, or whether we should accept a price for our used car, try to step back and consider the thing more objectively. Ask yourself how you would establish the value of that item if you encountered it for the first time. You might make a better decision. Continue reading

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Sticks and stones may break our bones, but some words make us materialistic!

Simply referring to people as “consumers” rather than “individuals” caused people to be less generous, accept less responsibility, and to view others as competitors rather than allies. Continue reading

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The Price of (Other People’s) Fame

I have a drumstick — the musical kind, not the Kentucky Fried kind — that is 25 years old. I don’t play the drums, and I never have. The world is a better place for it. But knowing that I … Continue reading

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