Materialism and Mental Health
- Genevieve Steffy
- Sep 20, 2022
- 2 min read
Materialism is defined as “a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values”
This manifests itself in society by increasing competition and selfishness, and decreasing empathy. Materialism proves itself to be increasingly negative for both the individual and society as a whole.
Materialism also has a direct effect on mental and physical health:
“We found that the more highly people endorsed materialistic values, the more they experienced unpleasant emotions, depression and anxiety, the more they reported physical health problems, such as stomachaches and headaches, and the less they experienced pleasant emotions and felt satisfied with their lives.” (Kasser).
So, what leads people to materialism?
According to Knox College psychologist Tim Kasser, it comes down to two main reasons:
Messaging Exposure
Being exposed to messaging that promotes materialism comes in the form of social media use, television watching habits, and one's intake of advertising and general marketing. The constant exposure to materialist-messaging has serious psychological effects that are bound to be negative to mental health.
Insecurity
Whether this is a fear of rejection or another social fear, people turn to objects and material things to surround themselves in order to feel validated or a sense of belonging.
The underlying cause of unhappiness in materialists is thought to be a neglect of their true psychological needs.
Psychological needs like human connection cannot come from inanimate objects. By surrounding oneself with material things and valuing them higher than connections and experiences, they satisfy less and less their real psychological needs and fill this void with materialist habits. Being truly content comes from satisfying your real psychological needs, which leads to higher levels of well-being and happiness.
To combat the negative mental health effects associated with materialism you can:
Spend more time with friends and family
Consider a break from TV and social media
Value experiences over material things
Practice empathy
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