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

Journal Paper by Amy Isham, Caroline Verfuerth, Alison Armstrong, Patrick Elf, Birgitta Gatersleben and Tim Jackson
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19/6 | March 2022

Summary

The endless pursuit of increasing rates of production and consumption under consumer capitalism has contributed to the depletion of natural resources, biodiversity loss and climate change enhancement. Rising material consumption has also failed to consistently improve well-being for people in advanced economies. Evidence shows that placing high importance on acquiring money and material goods may even be linked to poorer personal well-being. Given the scale of the current environmental crises, it is important to place greater emphasis on pursuing well-being in more sustainable ways.

In this research, we explore the attitudes and actions that individuals can take to achieve sustainable well-being, along with the factors that can enhance or hinder our ability to engage in these. In particular, we examine whether strong materialistic values are associated with a reduced likelihood of holding attitudes and engaging in actions that promote 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.

Further Reading