Inca o dovada ca renuntarea la materialism sporeste fericirea

Helen Cherrier este doctor al Universitatii din Arkansas si printre pozitiile pe care le-a ocupat se numara cea de lector la Universitatea din Sydney, profesor la Westminster, Londra, in prezent fiind profesor la Universitatea Luiss Guido Carli, Roma. Printre ariile sale de cercetare se afla studiul comportamentelor consumatorilor.
La randul sau, Caroline Lego Munoz este profesor asistent la Universitatea Fairleigh Dickinson din New Jersey, cu aceeasi specializare ca si Cherrier.
In numarul din 12 iulie 2007 al publicatiei academice Journal of Research for Consumers, cele doua cercetatoare au publicat articolul intitulat " A Reflection on Consumers’ Happiness: The Relevance of Care for Others, Spiritual Reflection, and Financial Detachment", in care demonstreaza ca altruismul, medidatia si scaderea interesului fata de bunurile materiale sporesc fericirea personala.
Prezint mai jos, pas cu pas, desfasurarea textului:

Magnitudinea materialismului in prezent si de ce el e incapabil de a spori fericirea

"The concept of happiness is often linked with the concept of materialism, which is defined as “the importance a consumer attaches to worldly possessions” (Belk 1984, p. 291). A materialistic individual believes that material possessions provide the greatest source of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Today’s consumer society is awash in luxurious products, enabling almost everyone access to what was once unattainable, despite the considerable individual and societal costs (Frank 1999). Conspicuous consumption has been further advanced in Western society by the rampant exposure to glamorous lifestyles (via catalogs, television, magazines, etc.) and the “cal -and-raise-the-Joneses” mentality (Easterbrook 2003, p. 140).

Within consumer research, there are two major ways of measuring materialism and its effect on happiness: materialism conceptualized as a value (Richins and Dawson 1992) and materialism perceived as a personal trait (Belk 1985). Although Richins and Dawson (1992) and Belk (1985) take two different approaches to materialism (trait versus value), they share a basic understanding of materialism and conclude with similar findings. Belk (1985) found negative correlations between materialism and happiness and between materialism and life satisfaction.
Similarly, Richins and Dawson (1992) correlated materialism with various aspects of life satisfaction and concluded that high scorers on materialism were less satisfied with their lives. Economists have also addressed materialism by illustrating the relationship between income and “material aspirations.” More specifically, as income increases throughout the consumer’s life, his or her aspirations related to material goods increase as wel , often resulting in frustration (Easterlin 2001; Frey and Stutzer 2002). In other words, as consumers earn more, they continue to want more and their levels of subjective wel -being remain the same."

Erorile marketingului
"First, marketers assume that happiness is reached by focusing on pleasurable experiences and minimizing pain (Belk 1985). Yet, happiness is a product of not only satisfaction but also regrets, doubts, pain, and sorrow (Ahuvia and Friedman 1998). Consequently, need satisfaction cannot directly be correlated to consumer happiness because it is solely affiliated to positive emotion, whereas consumer happiness is affiliated to both positive and negative emotions. Moreover, recent studies in consumer behavior note that consumption is becoming more a result of desires than of needs or wants (Belk, Ger, and Askegaard 2003). Yet, “desire does not desire satisfaction. To the contrary, desire desires desire. The reason images are so desirable is that they never satisfy” (El iot 1997, p. 288). Here, happiness is not reached through satisfaction but through the entertainment of desires."

Asadar, comportamentul consumerist e incapabil sa sporeasca fericirea, caci el se concentreaza doar de placere, pe cand fericirea este creata, pe termen lung, inclusiv prin aportul adus de experientele neplacute si, in plus, consumerismul nu mai satisface nevoile, ci doar creaza la infinit dorinte noi, care nu satisfac in sine niciodata.

Prea multe optiuni scad satisfactia
"The second assumption relates to the freedom of choice and its relation to happiness. In most marketing literature, the freedom to choose, which includes convenient shopping, product availability, and variety, helps consumers satisfy their needs (Ng 1997). Freedom of choice facilitates consumer need satisfaction, but too many choices can prove to be detrimental. This aspect of “consumer hyperchoice” can be experienced as a form of tyranny and promotes discontentment rather than happiness. A high number of alternatives from which to choose can create conflicts, fear of loss, and lower levels of decision satisfaction (Desmeules 2002; Schwartz 2004; Kaun 2005; Mick, Broniarczyk, and Haidt 2004). Hence, consumer happiness does not necessarily relate to a higher number of alternatives from which to choose. "

Astfel, numarul exagerat de mare de produse de pe piata nu fac decat sa produca temeri ca am pierdut deoaerece nu am facut alegerea optima, creaza conflicte si, per total, minimizeaza satisfactia.

Veniturile conteaza doar pana cand sunt satisfacute nevoile de baza
"As noted earlier, later studies have concentrated on the relationship between happiness and income and have found that while there is a positive relationship between income and well-being, the correlation is not strong in wealthier countries (Diener et al. 1993; Diener and Suh 2000). In particular, time series research found that income growth did not increase with
happiness for many industrialized nations (Easterlin 1995) and that it takes more income to be as happy today than it did in previous decades (Easterlin 2001). One explanation of this occurrence is that wealthier nations hit a point of “diminishing returns” when it comes to income growth and well-being (Diener and Seligman 2004). After a point of meeting “basic” needs, consumers’ happiness doesn’t benefit appreciatively with increased income (Diener and Biswas-Diener 2002)."

Aceasta critica a consumerismului se leaga perfect de restul cercetarilor legate de raportul venituri-fericire, care afirma ca banii cresc fericirea doar atunci cand persoana are suficienti incat sa depaseasca pragul saraciei, dar nu mai au un aport semnificativ odata ce acest prag e depasit.

Capitalismul, incapabil sa sporeasca fericirea
"In opposition to this theory of economic progress and financial capital, other researchers emphasize that the desire for money and/or wealth is exhausting and can relegate people to, among other things, a state of perpetual unhappiness and increased levels of stress (De Graaf, Naylor, and Wann 2001; Thoits and Hannan 1979). Easterbrook (2003, p. 177) notes that “what people really want in life — love, friendship, respect, family, standing, fun — is not priced and does not pass through the market. If something isn’t priced you can’t buy it, so possessing money may not help that much.” These findings and observations are consistent with Max
Weber’s view of capitalist societies in which individuals are instruments of the economics of the market; they are possessed and even alienated by the economic system. Following this perspective, Fromm (1975) argues that the capitalist man is no longer capable of happiness - the modern man only negotiates or trades and ultimately suffers from a non-creative disposition.
Here, money and its economic power conflict rather than promote happiness. This viewpoint has recently appeared in studies on voluntary simplicity, downshifting, or simple living (Cherrier 2002; Cherrier and Murray 2001)."

Explicatia e deci simpla: banii nu mai sporesc fericirea odata ce e depasita saracia lucie, iar ceea ce sporeste fericirea peste acest punct, adica relatiile interumane, respectul, relaxarea etc. nu pot fi achizitionate de pe piata, deci nu se pot cumpara. Aceasta inseamna ca sistemul capitalist, bazat pe mercantilism si consumerism, actioneaza in gol.

Adevaratele cai spre fericire: meditatia, grija fata de ceilalti, scaderea interesului pentru materialismul financiar
Meditatia
In his research on happiness, Fromm sees the modern man as an instrument of the market who will not be happy unless he practices certain self-discipline and lays down a number of rules of conduct (Fromm 1960, 1975). According to Fromm, discipline, concentration, patience, and real
dedication are the four most important criteria to live a happy life (Fromm 1975). Drawing upon this work, Hadot (1981, 2002) related Fromm’s concept of self-discipline to the importance of spiritual exercise for happiness. For Hadot, in order to live a happy life, individuals have to
question the meaning of life and follow their spiritual needs. We therefore define spiritual reflection for the purposes of this study as, ‘a personal search, journey, or quest to connect with one’s true or authentic self.” As such, spirituality reflection comes to include the set of feelings, tastes, practices, objects, values, knowledge, beliefs, and experiences which are associated with the search for connection with an authentic self."

Astfel, descoperirea nevoilor spirituale, psihice, realizata prin introspectie si cunoasterea de sine, au un rolm esential in procesul de crestere a fericirii proprii dar nu pot fi achizitionate de pe piata.

Grija fata de ceilalti
"The relationship between caring for others and happiness has been discussed by a number of scholars. As Foucault (1997) noted, happiness can only be accomplished with relationships of dependence to others. For Foucault, caring for oneself “involves complex relations with the
other, because this ethos of freedom is also a way to be able to care for others” (1997, p. 287). Foucault elevates care for others and curiosity to two of the prime elements of living a good life (1997). Etzoni (1997, 2001) expands this viewpoint to include the creation of a communitarian
environment and the development of global communities as ways to enhance happiness. Thus, each author emphasizes the importance of caring for others in relation to living a happy life. Recent happiness literature also documents the impact of others on one’s happiness. Specifically, Veenhoven’s (2002) analysis of the World Database of Happiness notes a strong correlation between happiness and the capability to care for others."

Consumerismul e insa antitetic grijii fata de restul lumii, caci nu incurajeaza cumpararea produselor ecologice si se adreseaza lacomiei consumatorului, ceea ce in sine minimizeaza grija fata de ceilalti: "Unfortunately, the current consumer marketplace makes it difficult for socially responsible consumption behavior to occur, and consumer hyperchoice may even “reduce willingness to engage in altruistic and pro-social behaviors” (Mick et al. 2004, p. 209)."

Scaderea interesului materialist, o cale spre fericire
"Increased wealth comes with a price for some: material aspirations grow (Easterlin 2001; Frey and Stutzer 2002), stress increases (Thoits and Hannan 1979), relationships are tested (Smith and Razzell 1975), and less time can be devoted to leisure (Diener and Biswas-Diener, 2002).
In essence, individuals are experiencing a “consumer hyperchoice” shopping environment marked by “ever-increasing” consumer shopping, purchase options, day-to-day demands, and decreased time (Mick et al. 2004). As Mick et al. (2004, p. 209) summarize, the effects of hyperchoice could include “diminishment of mindfulness or attentional control,” judgementalism impatience, and incivility. Beyond impacting the quality of consumers’ interactions, individuals have less time available to devote to their family, community, and leisure activities. For example, Americans specifically work more than those in many other industrialized, wealthy
nations (Sennett 1998). What free time that does remain is primarily reserved for watching television (2.58 hours on average a day), compared to socializing with friends (.78 hours on average a day) (American Time Use Survey 2006). Thus, the end result is less time spent caring for others and reflecting on one’s life, as well as the diminishing quality of these interactions.

Easterbrook (2003) suggests that “waking up from the American dream” needs to happen for consumers. In other words, material goods and personal freedom do not equal happiness; happiness needs to “come from elsewhere.” There is some evidence that consumers are starting to realize the financial and consumption costs of desiring more. For example, American television is replete with shows devoted to reducing credit card debt and limiting clutter in the home. Industries predicated on organizing one’s “stuff” have blossomed (e.g., The Container Store, Real Simple magazine, etc.). Inglehart (1977) proposed that values antithetical to materialism are occurring with more frequency within industrialized nations. These “postmaterialism” values embrace self-expression, sense of community, quality of life, and eschew materialistic values such as purchasing and achievement. Empirical research by Inglehart (1997) indicates that the number of individuals embracing post-materialist values has increased within industrialized nations.

Research addressing the outcomes of setting an excessive value on money may explain the surge in postmaterialism. Findings revealed that the cost of prioritizing money in one’s life (i.e., “I firmly believe money can solve all of my problems” and “I would do practically anything legal for money if it were enough”), results in lower levels of well-being (Kirkcaldy, Furnham, and
Martin 1998). Lastly, Max Weber (1968) strongly prescribed individuals’ detachment from money accumulation, citing that it is the controlling tool for the ones in power."

Pe scurt, mania consumerista, a celor care alearga constanta dupa placeri costisitoare, nu face decat sa reduca interesul pentru viata sociala, timp liber, meditatie etc., sa duca la munca in exces si deci scade fericirea.

In ultima parte a articolului, cele doua cercetatoarea demonstreaza empiric, ca medidatia, grija fata de societate si mediul inconjurator si svaderea atasamentului material sporesc fericirea.
"This investigation of financial detachment calls into question the equation of a happier life with more money and fulfilled material needs. It therefore reinforces previous consumer research that has illustrated that materialism is negatively related to happiness (Belk 1995; Richins 1994; Richins and Dawson 1992; O'Connell 2002; Tatzel 2003). It also lends support to economic research that found weak correlations between income and happiness (Diener et al. 1993; Diener and Suh 2000)."

Detaliile tehnice referitoare la realizarea si concluziile studiului, impreuna cu alte critici ale consumerismului, echivalarii detinerii de mari sume de bani cu fericirea, impreuna cu alte beneficii ale activitatilor non-materialiste se gasesc in articol, la adresa: http://www.jrconsumers.com/Consumer_Articles?f=11948