1. Materialistic Values and Environmental Challenges Tim Kasser, Ph.D.

2. Materialism Can purchase happiness Important to work and consume Financial profit and economic growth are main priorities Life is meaningful and people are successful to the extent they have money, possessions, and the right image

3. 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.

4. 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

5. Ecological Damage

6. Ecological Outcomes Care less about the environment –Saunders & Munro (2000); Schwartz (1994) Fewer pro-environmental behaviors –Brown & Kasser (2005); Gatersleben et al. (in prep); Kasser (2005); Richins & Dawson (1992) Higher Ecological Footprints –Brown & Kasser (2005)

7. Tragedy of the Commons Sheldon & McGregor (2000) assigned people to one of three groups: –All high materialistic –2 high/ 2 low materialistic –All low materialistic Played a forest-management game High materialist groups harvested more forest more quickly

8. Tragedy of the Commons

9. Diminished Happiness Kasser (2002) Lower –Happiness –Life Satisfaction –Vitality Higher –Anxiety –Depression –Substance Use –Physical Symptoms

10. Social Behavior Care less about social justice, loyalty Lower empathy More Machiavellian & Competitive Less pro-social behavior More anti-social behavior

11. Two-fold Strategy Mater- ialism Causes

12. Causes of Materialism (Kasser et al. 2004) Social Modeling –Higher if friends, parents, peers care –Higher if more television –Higher if liberal capitalism Insecurity –Higher if cold parenting, divorce –Higher if poverty –Higher if thinking of death or hungry

13. Two-fold Strategy Mater- ialism Causes Healthy Values

14. Healthy Values Grouzet, 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

16. Intrinsic Values Kasser & 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.”

17. Personal Well-being More happiness More life satisfaction Higher vitality Less depression Less anxiety Fewer physical symptoms

18. Social Well-being More pro-social behavior More empathy More cooperation Less antisocial behavior

19. Ecological Well-being More environmentally friendly behaviors Lower Ecological Footprint Less consumption in forest dilemma game

20. Two-fold Strategy Mater- ialism Causes Healthy Values

21. Advertising Designed to promote consumerism Often creates feelings of insecurity Presence everywhere promotes social norm that consumerism is good

22. Advertising - Directions Remove ads from public places Ban advertising to children Tax advertising as a form of pollution Use revenue to promote intrinsic values

23. Goal Framing Vansteenkiste et al (2004) Subjects - education students Asked to read a text on recycling framed either: –Intrinsic - would benefit community –Materialistic - would save money Those with Intrinsic frames: –Learned for more autonomous reasons –Learned material more deeply –Were more likely to visit library to learn more –Were more likely to go on later trip to recycling plant

24. Goal Framing Important implications for social marketing Beware connecting environmental behavior to materialistic aims because doing so: –Reinforces materialistic values, which are bad for the environment –In and of itself leads to lesser motivation

25. Voluntary Simplicity Rejection of work- spend lifestyle Instead focus on “inward riches” of caring about personal growth, family, volunteer activity, and ecology (Elgin, 1993)

26. VS Lifestyle High Well-being Ecologically Responsible Behaviors

27. VS Lifestyle High Intrinsic & Low Materialistic Values High Well-being Ecologically Responsible Behaviors

28. Voluntary Simplicity - Directions Explore ideas about happiness and values, then educate about Voluntary Simplicity Use established programs –Your Money or Your Life –Simplicity Circles

29. National Indicators of Progress Currently Gross Domestic Product is dominant Alternative indicators include metrics of intrinsic values in computation Examples: –National Well-being –Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness –Happy Planet Index –Genuine Progress Indicator

30. Gross Domestic Product vs. Genuine Progress Indicator

31. National Indicators - Directions Adopt Alternative Indicators Hopefully, citizens will recognize that increases in GDP ≠increases in Quality of Life Thus, new policies will be developed

32. Martin Luther King, Jr. We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing- oriented society” to a “person-oriented society.”