Abstract
Materialistic strivings have been implicated as a cause of unhappiness. Gratitude, on the other hand - both in its manifestations as a chronic affective trait and as a more temporary emotional experience - may be a cause of happiness. In the present paper we review the empirical research on the relationships among materialism, gratitude, and well-being. We present new correlational data on the gratitude-materialism relationship and propose that gratitude may have the potential to reduce materialistic strivings and consequently diminish the negative effects of materialistic strivings on psychological well-being. We conclude with some recommendations for future research on the relationships among gratitude, materialism, and well-being.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 343-360 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Journal of Happiness Studies |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2006 |
Keywords
- Gratitude
- Happiness
- Materialism
- Positive psychology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)