Hoarding Is Associated With Anthropomorphism, Sense of Control, and Materialism Across Cultures and Time

Emotional attachment to objects has been found to be a major factor associated with hoarding. In the present work, we investigated whether anthropomorphism, materialism, and sense of control, which are tied to emotional attachment to objects, predict hoarding. We tested this with Japanese (Study 1a) and American (Study 1b) participants and used a longitudinal design to compare the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods (Study 2). Results showed that greater anthropomorphism, greater materialism, and lower sense of control increased hoarding in both Japanese and Americans. In Study 2, we confirmed the cross-temporal stability of hoarding and these predictors, the increase of hoarding, and the temporal link between sense of control and hoarding. Further cross-cultural longitudinal work could uncover important implications for resolving issues of hoarding.