Bidirectional Dynamics of Materialism and Loneliness: Not Just a Vicious Cycle

This research is the first to test the hypothesis that consumers face a “material trap ” in which materialism fosters social isolation which in turn reinforces ma-terialism. It provides evidence that materialism and loneliness are engaged in bidirectional relationships over time. Importantly, it finds that loneliness contributes more to materialism than the other way around. Moreover, it finds that materialism’s contribution to loneliness is not uniformly vicious but critically differs between spe-cific subtypes of materialism. That is, valuing possessions as a happiness medicine or as a success measure increased loneliness, and these subtypes also increased most due to loneliness. Yet seeking possessions for material mirth decreased loneliness and was unaffected by it. These findings are based on longitudinal data from over 2,500 consumers across 6 years and a new latent growth model. They reveal how materialism and loneliness form a self-perpetuating vicious and virtuous cycle depending on the materialism subtype. Loneliness is the aversive feeling of being isolated fromothers. It is a common and persistent experience. At any given time, about 20 % of people feel sufficiently iso-lated to experience loneliness (Cacioppo and Patrick 2008). In a recent survey of US citizens over 44 years old, even 35 % reported being lonely (Wilson and Moulton 2010). About 45 % of these people indicated that their loneliness had persisted for 6 years or more. Studies with other samples and countries report comparable results (de Jong-Gierveld 1987; Jylha 2004; Tornstam 1988). Although hard statistics are absent, there is a common impression that people in modern societies are becoming even lonelier because of changing demographics, relationships, and lifestyles (Dyk-