Are Materialistic people happier?

From Sonja Lubomirsky’s book “Myths of Happiness”

Are Materialistic People Happier?

• “materialists report less satisfaction and meaning in their lives, have emptier social relationships, are more insecure, and are less liked by others than people who are not materialistic.” (p. 154)
  
  
  
• “our craving to purchase and possess in ever-greater quantities in order to achieve the same level of pleasure can put us on the path to runaway materialism and acquisitiveness, such that more and more money is spent and less and less happiness is derived from it.” (p. 170)
  
  
  
• A mountain of research has shown that materialism depletes happiness, threatens satisfaction with our relationships, harms the environment, renders us less friendly, likable, and empathetic, and makes us less likely to help others and contribute to our communities.” (p. 171)
  
  
  
• “materialistic individuals are less satisfied and grateful for their lives, have less purpose, feel less competent in general, are more antisocial, and have weaker connections with others. Indeed, when it comes to relationships, those with materialistic goals not only rate their own social interactions more negatively, but people in general rate their relationships with materialists as less satisfying as well.” (p. 172)
  
  
  
• “the pursuit of money and reputation redirects our energies and passions away from deeper and more meaningful social connections and growth experiences and prevent us from achieving our full potentials. As we spend more of our time making money, the opportunity “costs” of reading poetry, playing catch with our child, or taking a walk with a friend become so high that it becomes “irrational” to do such things.322 All the more reason to learn what research has to say about how to avoid the excesses of consumption and materialism and spend money in ways that make us happy.” (p. 172)

Check Your Materialism Score. (p. 171)

From 1-5 Rank each question. (1= Strongly disagree, 3= Neutral, 5= Strongly Agree)

1. I admire people who own expensive homes, cars, and clothes.
   
2. The things I own say a lot about how well I’m doing in life.
   
3. I like to own things that impress people.
   
4. I try to keep my life simple, as far as possessions are concerned.
   
5. Buying things gives me a lot of pleasure.
   
6. I like a lot of luxury in my life.
   
7. My life would be better if I owned certain things I don’t have.
   
8. I’d be happier if I could afford to buy more things.
   
9. It sometimes bothers me quite a bit that I can’t afford to buy all the things I’d like.

The average score is a 26.2. If you scored a 36 or higher, be careful because you are in the top 20 percent of materialistic people!