Materialism: The road to happiness and life satisfaction among Singaporeans
Journal Title: The Journal of Happiness and Well-Being - Year 2015, Vol 3, Issue 1
Abstract
Overseas research studies suggest that shopping can be utilised to establish individual identity and accord social recognition. In Singapore, shopping, an activity associated with materialism, is called a national pastime. Yet, only a handful of research studies have deliberated the roles of happiness and materialism in achieving life satisfaction compared to countries in the west. This study investigated whether materialism and happiness aid life satisfaction in Singapore. A New Materialism Scale was utilised to conduct a more holistic understanding of materialism, as scales utilised in earlier studies have not successfully explained consumer behaviour in recent years. For this study, 128 Singaporean undergraduates (69.5% female; 30.5% male) with a mean age of 21.82 years (SD= 2.17; age range 18-30), enrolled in the Psychology and Business programs at James Cook University, Singapore, were recruited. Results suggest that students between 18 and 30 relate material distinctiveness positively to life satisfaction; male respondents are as equally materialistic as female respondents; material success is most associated with Chinese students; material distinctiveness is linked to Indian students, while happiness levels moderate materialism levels and life satisfaction. An important implication of this study is the finding that there exists more to materialism in relation to life satisfaction and happiness among Singaporeans.
Authors and Affiliations
Jasdeep Kaur Sidhu| James Cook University Department of Psychology, E-mail: koong.foo@my.jcu.edu.au, Koong Hean Foo| James Cook University Department of Psychology
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP15933
- DOI -
- Views 385
- Downloads 22
Do life goals mediate the link between personality traits and mental well-being?
The present study examined, first, the connections between life goals and different dimensions of mental well-being, and, second, life goals as mediators in the previously established relation between personality traits...
Effects of an Online Positive Psychotherapy Class on Future Counselors: Consensual Qualitative Research
The practice of positive psychotherapy holds great promise for inculcating in counselors the attributes most needed to positively impact client outcome. What follows are the results of a qualitative analysis investigati...
Affective and motivational predictors of perceived meaning in life among college students
Meaning in life has been associated with well-being, optimal functioning, and positive psychotherapeutic outcomes. Meaning is best understood in terms of relationships between its three different structural components:...
Meaning making in rural Appalachia: Age and gender patterns in seven measures of meaning
People derive meaning in life from a wide variety of sources, but little is known about how patterns of meaning making vary across individuals. The current study examined age and gender patterns in seven measures of me...
Mindfulness meditation training for sport (MMTS) intervention: Impact of MMTS with division I female athletes
Mindfulness training has been considered an effective mode for optimizing sport performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a twelve-session, 30-minute mindfulness meditation training session fo...