21 research outputs found

    Materialism, personal well-being and environmental behaviour: cross-national and longitudinal evidence from the UK and Chile

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    This thesis investigates how materialism is related to personal well-being, as well as to environmental behaviour. I tested key assumptions in the field, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, in two samples of adults from two different cultures, the UK – an established mass consumer society – and Chile – a fast-growing economy. Results are presented in the form of three papers. Using a cross-sectional analysis, I showed in Paper 1 that materialism was associated with lower levels of well-being in both countries. Importantly, both need satisfaction and need frustration mediated the link between materialism and well-being. Notably, need frustration played an incremental explanatory role, above and beyond the role of need satisfaction. In Paper 2, I explored the hypothesized link between need satisfaction/frustration and well-being in greater depth. Employing a cross-lagged longitudinal design over 3 years, I found that in both countries, higher total need satisfaction (versus frustration) was a significant prospective predictor of higher well-being. However, when separate needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness were distinguished, only relatedness reached statistical significance in the UK, and none of the three needs individually predicted well-being in Chile. In both countries, need satisfaction prospectively predicted positive well-being, and in the UK, need frustration prospectively predicted negative well-being. Finally, I found a bi-directional link between total need satisfaction and subjective well-being in both countries. These results point towards a better integration of research into hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. In Paper 3, I showed, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, that a higher relative importance placed on extrinsic (versus intrinsic) life goals was a negative antecedent of environmentally responsible behaviour, even while controlling for effects of environmental worldviews and environmental identification. Taken together, these results show the negative effects of materialistic values and life goals in both people’s well-being and in the future of our the natural environment

    Life goals predict environmental behavior: cross-cultural and longitudinal evidence

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    Prioritizing intrinsic life goals (self-development, community involvement, relationships) rather than extrinsic ones (money, fame, image) is said to foster not only personal wellbeing, but also pro-social behavior such as protecting the environment. We explored concurrent and prospective links between intrinsic (versus extrinsic) life goals and self-reported environmentally responsible behavior, using correlational and longitudinal data from adult participants in a mass consumer society (UK) and a fast developing nation (Chile). In both countries, the importance of intrinsic (versus extrinsic) life goals was associated cross-sectionally with environmentally responsible behavior, even after controlling for possible effects of environmental worldviews and environmental identification. In longitudinal analyses, life goals prospectively predicted environmentally responsible behavior over a two-year period, whereas, rather unexpectedly, environmental worldviews and environmental identification did not. We conclude that focusing on intrinsic, rather than extrinsic, life goals may be important not just for individuals’ well-being, but also for the well-being of future generations

    A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

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    Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

    A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Get PDF
    Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly-internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing: Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

    The Longitudinal Link between Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and Three Different Models of Happiness

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    A growing body of research conducted in general life settings has found positive associations between happiness and prosocial behavior. Unfortunately, equivalent studies in the workplace are lacking. Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), the prosocial behaviors at work, have not been properly studied in relation to happiness, despite the positive consequences of both constructs for workers and companies. In response, our research aims to better understand this relationship from several angles. First, using a three-wave longitudinal design, we explored how OCBs and happiness are related to each other over time. Second, happiness was measured from a broad perspective, and three conceptualizations were adopted: the hedonic (e.g., positive affect and life satisfaction), the eudaimonic (e.g., relatedness and autonomy), and the flourishing (e.g., meaning and engagement) approaches. Thus, not only the prospective link between OCBs and happiness was tested, but it was also explored using the three models of happiness previously mentioned. Third, we conducted this longitudinal design in a less typical sample than previous research (i.e., Chile). We found results that supported our main hypotheses: (1) OCBs are prospective positive predictors of hedonic happiness, eudaimonic happiness, and flourishing; (2) the three models of happiness also prospectively predict OCBs. Our findings suggest that OCBs foster a broad range of happiness facets, which in turn fosters back the emergence of more OCBs, leading to a virtuous circle of prosociality and well-being in the workplace. This positive spiral benefits not only workers’ quality of life, but also organizations’ profitability and sustainability. Theoretical and applied implications for the field of Positive Organizational Psychology are discussed

    THE ROLE OF SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING IN MEASURING THE PROGRESS OF NATIONS AND GUIDING PUBLIC POLICY

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    Nations assess human progress mainly through objective economic indicators of material progress (e.g., gross domestic product, consumption, etc.). However, these measures have important limitations. Moreover, the excessive focus on material aspects is leading the world to ecological, social and economic crises that are putting the future of humankind at risk. Building on previous work, this paper has three goals. First, to show how subjective measures of (psychological) well-being can complement the standard economic indicators of material progress. Second, to discuss the recent evidence which states that subjective well-being can help to build a better world. Third, to show policy examples concerning how subjective measures can help in allocating scarce resources, complementing the traditional economic methodologies

    When and Why Does Materialism Relate to Employees’ Attitudes and Well-being: The Mediational Role of Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration

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    Materialistic values may be detrimental for people’s well-being. However, we know little about why (i.e., explaining mechanisms) and when (i.e., boundary conditions) this is the case. Although low satisfaction of the psychological needs is said to play a key role in this process, a recent meta-analysis indicates that the explaining power of need satisfaction is limited and suggests that need frustration may be more important. Moreover, although materialism may be detrimental in some life domains, studies in materialistic contexts such as work are lacking, particularly in the non-Western world. In response, we put need frustration to the fore and examine both need satisfaction and frustration as the underlying processes in the relation between materialism and employee attitudes and well-being in two Latin–American countries. The Chilean sample (N = 742) shows that materialism at work is associated with less positive (work satisfaction and engagement) and more negative (burnout and turnover intentions) outcomes, even when controlling for workers’ income. Notably, need frustration explained the detrimental effects of materialism alongside need satisfaction in a unique manner, showing that it is essential to distinguish both constructs. Results were replicated in Paraguay (N = 518) using different positive (organizational commitment and meaning at work) and negative (negative emotions and job insecurity) outcomes, adding to the generalizability of our results across samples of different nations.status: publishe
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