Mindfulness and Psychologically Motivated Consumption

Seminar,  23 January 2013

Alison Armstrong

What Role Could Mindfulness Play in Reducing Psychologically Motivated Consumption?

We must consume to live. However, the consumption of goods and resources in developed countries is so considerable that it is associated with low psychological wellbeing, and is a contributor to several social and ecological problems. The psychological motivators that sustain such consumption may relate to attempts to resolve affect or identity difficulties, whereby consumer activities and goods offer emotional or symbolic functions. These tendencies are especially visible in the compulsive buyer.

This seminar presents research around the concept of mindfulness as a distinctive way of thinking and being: non-judgementally aware of the present moment. The results from a longitudinal mixed methods intervention study are presented where compulsive buyers learned mindfulness. The results offer compelling evidence for mindfulness enabling an improvement in wellbeing and reduced reliance on consumption behaviour or goods to fulfil affective or symbolic needs. This has implications for individual, social and ecological health.

For information on Present Minds, Dr. Armstrong's mindfulness teaching and research service, visit here.