Title: Materialism and Subjective Happiness in Malaysia College Students
Authors:Mohamad Fazli bin Sabri (Universiti Putra Malaysia), Mary Ann Remsen (Middle Tennessee State University), Thomas M. Brinthaupt (Middle Tennessee State University), Sandra Poirier* (Middle Tennessee State University), Uma Iyer (Austin Peay State University), Hyun Ju Kwon (Middle Tennessee State University)
Corresponding Author: *Mohamad Fazli Sabri (Universiti Putra Malaysia; )
Purpose:Because the factors of materialism and subjective happiness are multifaceted, the constructs are operationalized differently in studies. Cross-cultural research requires clarity with respect to these concepts. In this presentation, we review general theoretical and conceptual approaches to materialism and happiness. Then, we describe a survey of Malaysian students and professionals who reported their perceptions of materialism and happiness.
Rationale:Much research has been conducted on these topics in Western cultures. However, cross-cultural studies have been more limited. Attention to conceptual definitions is essential when comparing these variables in different cultures. Because it is an interdependent, collectivist culture, we expected that materialism scores would be negatively correlated with subjective happiness scores in this Malaysian sample.
Methodology: The survey was administered online to students and staff (N = 111, 87 women, 24 men) at a large Malaysian university near Kuala Lumpur. The survey consisted of 25 items, including measures of materialism, subjective happiness, demographics, and open-ended questionsabout things valued in life. The materialism measure (RichinsDawson, 1992) included three subscales: (1) the degree to which possessions and the acquisition of possessions are central to a person’s life (material centrality), (2) the degree to which people believe possessions and their acquisition bring happiness and life satisfaction (material happiness), and (3) the degree to which people assess the success of others in terms of possessions (material success).All survey items were presented in both English and Malay.
Findings: Analyses of quantitative data indicated that subjective happiness was negatively, but not significantly related to overall materialism, r = -.13, p = .17, as well as the material success subscale, r = -.17, p = .07. The happiness/materialism correlations were similar for both women and men. Women reported significantly higher scores than men on the material centrality subscale (t(110) = 2.24, p= .03). With respect to employment status, individuals who were employed full-time scored significantly lower on the material happiness subscale compared to those who were unemployed or part-time employed (F(2, 108) = 3.56, p = .032). Finally, among the full-time employed participants, subjective happiness was significantly and negatively related to overall materialism (r(26) = -.40, p = .035), as well as material success (r(26) = -.40, p = .035) and material happiness (r(26) = -.40, p = .035). Materialism and subjective happiness were not significantly related for the unemployed participants. Family, money, possessions, health, education, love, achievement, happiness, friends, and career themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis of the open-ended questions.
Conclusions/Implications: Examining the relationship between materialism and happiness is important because of technology availability, the effects of globalization, and changing standards of living. Consistent with other research, we found that demographic factors are important when examining materialism and happiness. The predicted negative relationship between materialism and subjective happiness was found for full-time employed participants but not for unemployed participants. We are currently planning to collect similar data from India, Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and the U.S.