The High Price of Materialism (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Twenty-five centuries ago, the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu penned these six lines, warning people of the dangers of materialistic values..." (more)
Key Phrases: strong materialistic values, materialistic value orientation, nonmaterialistic goals, United States, Aspiration Index, University of Rochester (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

You've always known that money can't buy happiness, but do you have the data to prove it? Kasser, a psychology professor at Knox College, certainly does. Drawing on an impressive range of statistical studies, including ones that use his own "Aspiration Index," Kasser argues that a materialistic orientation toward the world contributes to low self-esteem, depression, antisocial behavior and even a greater tendency to get "headaches, backaches, sore muscles, and sore throats." In numerous studies, Kasser shows, people who were paid for completing a task that they normally found pleasurable (e.g., solving puzzles) reported the activity to be less fun than those who did the task without financial compensation. While at first the book seems to retrace the steps of Juliet B. Schor's The Overspent American and other recent titles that analyze why many Americans feel driven and unhappy despite success, Kasser goes beyond this, showing how materialistic values shape an individual's orientation toward friends, family, work, death and "internal satisfactions." Of great interest are the studies demonstrating that children of divorce and people with "less nurturing" mothers are more likely to hold strong materialistic values (though some readers may protest that children of divorce simply feel more economically vulnerable than their peers). Drawing on sources as diverse as dream analysis and game theory, Kasser powerfully argues that when we as individuals or as a nation feel more vulnerable, we exhibit more sharply defined materialistic tendencies a theme particularly resonant in this era of terrorist threats, personal debts and corporate scandals. Illus.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"An excellent, thorough, insightful examination of object hedonism and its psychological costs. Well-written to boot."
—Amitai Etzioni, University Professor, George Washington University and author of The Monochrome Society

"Does money buy happiness? For years, social scientists knew relatively little about this important question. Now that has changed. On the basis of more than a decade's worth of original research, Tim Kasser provides a powerful answer—materialism undermines human well-being. The High Price of Materialism is a path-breaking work that suggests a fundamental rethinking of our values, behaviors, and economic structures. Deserves the widest possible readership."
—Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology, Boston College; author of The Overworked American

"Kasser powerfully argues that when we feel more vulnerable, we exhibit more sharply defined materialistic tendencies"
— pwforecasts, Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 165 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026261197X
• ISBN-13: 978-0262611978
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,277 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read, April 7, 2003

By	Christopher Tessone (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The High Price of Materialism (Hardcover)

Tim Kasser's subject in this book is the relationship between materialist values and psychological well-being. He and his colleagues have done a significant amount of work to identify links between materialism and a host of social evils, including the breakdown of the American family, our culture's lack of concern for the environment, and declining social consciousness. Some elements of the argument are weakened by the fact that psychologists have been studying the subject for a comparatively short time, and relevant studies are few; however, Kasser admits this failing when it is relevant, and support for the most important aspects of his theory is significant.

The most interesting part of the book is the final chapter, "Making Change", which discusses strategies for changing our values. In this chapter, Kasser notes the danger in assuming capitalism and the market economy are ideal. He points to experiments in the United States and throughout the world where economies have developed which emphasize small businesses and local economies (Ithaca, NY, for example), which value each person's time equally (i.e., an hour of legal services is not valued more highly than an hour of a gardener's time), and so forth. Naturally there are barriers to some of his suggestions, but there is little hope of effecting change without adopting at least some of the strategies mentioned.

All in all, this is an important book for our times. Television and mass-market culture won't save you: pick up this book!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely priceless, October 12, 2004

By	Moses Alexander (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

Great book. Can't say enough good things about it. Kasser breaks down materialism and the effects it has on society. It talks about its effects on one's mental and physical health, how it effects relationships and how it ultimately effects the environment. It is academic, but not so much that someone without a psychology background can't understand it. I didn't find it dry at all like one reader said it was. I was entertained and informed (what a rare combination these days.)

In the final chapter he provides things inviduals and communities can do to fight back against the rampant materialism we're constantly assaulted with and how fighting it will help improve our lives, the lives of the ones we love and the world in general. Make the author happy and check the book out from a library or borrow a copy from a friend.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars First two chapters are good, the rest isn't, August 19, 2007

By	bobh "bobh" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The High Price of Materialism (Hardcover)

The High Cost of Materialism is an interesting subject, but the author isn't up to the challenge he sets for himself. The Preface and Introduction are excellent. Both are succinct expressions of the problems that a market-driven economy creates within an individual looking for happiness.
But the method the author uses to accomplish his goal is falls short.

First of all, the author tries to make the claim that "If a person is aware of the effect of materialism in their life, they will probably become happy." This claim is weak at best. There are many people who are happy accumulating stuff. (I don't happen to be one of them, but I don't claim to represent all consumers in the world).

2nd, the author uses questionaires to determine what makes people happy.
He develops an 'Aspiration Index' with questions like:
1) 'Your image will be one others find appealing'
2) 'You will be famous'.
There are 15 of these questions.

He gives this questionaire to 350 people. And then he assumes these responses are an accurate portrayal of all consumers.
But, the sampling technique is terrible. I'm surprised the colleagues who reviewed this article didn't point this out.
For the 350 people, he chooses ONLY
(a) college students
(b) from one or two universities.

Holy cow! A book on the psychological effects
of materialism, seen through the eyes of college students.
What subset of America is represented by "18-22 years olds in University"?
To me, that makes all the conclusions based on his questionairre responses invalid, or spurious at best.

The book sets up many arguments of why people find materialism frustrating, and then refutes each of these. Sometimes finding some psychological 'causes'. But these arguments are created in his head, and the refutation is just the same.

In the final chapter, the author proposes his 'solutions' for an individual to take so he/she's less impacted by a Materialistic society.
Now, this is interesting, because it assumes a person can choose to not be affected by their own society. A cultural anthropologist would argue against this assumption.

Here are a couple of the 'solutions'.
#3: "Get off the materialistic treadmill".
#4: "Ask yourself why you really want the money, looks or fame."

My reaction to these 'solutions' was to realize, they won't help me.

A major problem with this whole book is, it assumes the individual can remove himself/herself from the way society judges others, without any negative feedback. To me, materialism exists because it's a groupthink type
of phenomenon. I'm often judged by what i wear and drive. Just because i know others are negatively judging me by what i own, and not acting warmly because i don't own what they've been told is 'good', doesn't mean i can control the situation or other people's responses. Yes, i can make my own choices. But my choices are then judged by others. And this judgment by others is what causes conformity. And the conformity is the driving motivator for a materialistic society.

So, i commend the author for taking up the subject. And i felt he wrote an excellent problem statement. But his research to find the causes, and his attempt to postulate a conclusion, left me feeling his whole approach is nothing more than wishful thinking.