The manner in which we make decisions on which products to consume is reliant on a variety of factors. These factors come into play and influence our decision-making mechanism of deciding which product to consume and which not to. Behavioral psychologists and marketing scholars have identified several relationships that are determinant of our consumption routines. These are; our consumption and well-being, consumption and identity, consumption and our emotions and consumption and our beliefs and attitudes (Saad, 2010). These relationships do not all come into play when deciding which product to consume; there are some which are dominant determinants of our decisions while some recessive (DeLeire and Kalil, 2010). The relationships are not always constant i.e. consumption and identity might influence our decision-making process when purchasing product X while consumption and beliefs might influence how we make decision when purchasing product Z (Finch, 2006). A suitable example of these relationships in action is how Muslims do not consume pork or pork products because it is against their religion (Finch, 2006). This is an example of the relationship between consumption and beliefs (Finch, 2006). This essay, therefore, presents an analysis of the relationships that influence my decision-making process when deciding which products to consume.
According to me, I believe that the dominant relationship that widely influences my process of deciding which product or service to purchase is consumption and emotion. I would also like to believe that this is the relationship that determines the decisions of many people because most marketing strategies such as promotion and advertising pry on people’s emotion to influence their decision-making process. According to Ekman, Sorenson, and Friesen (1969), there are six emotions whose facial expressions are common to everyone in the world. These emotions are happiness, disgust, anger, fear, surprise and sadness. Therefore, the emotion that widely influences my decision-making process is happiness.
When purchasing a product I usually ask myself if the product will me make me happy. As a person who leads a hedonistic way of life, I usually find myself drawn to the fun stuff and things that will not compromise my aura of happiness. For example, in spite of being criticized by my peers that animated films are for small children, I prefer them to horror and thriller films. I believe that life presents us with tragedies and challenges that wear us out and it is of no use to encounter more tragedies while entertaining ourselves thus, my choice of animated films. Comedy films also provide me with much-needed pleasure and laughter that I as a hedonist, seek. My choice for action films can also be viewed as way of seeking thrill and adventure while sitting safely on the couch. I also prefer going to amusement park particularly those with roller coasters because of my need to fulfill my ‘cravings’ for adventure. If I am happy then I am well.
I also have a friend whose purchasing patterns are determined by his need for well-being. As a practicing vegan, my friend, let’s call him John for reasons of anonymity, abstains from animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs because he believes such products are the cause of terminal diseases such as cancer and diabetes. He also abstains from drug-related habits such as smoking and drinking of alcohol. He seldom uses the bus and would rather walk or cycle to a particular destination. He is very concerned about his well-being and would rather subscribe to gym membership than use the money for partying. John’s consumption patterns are geared at ensuring that he is healthy and at the end of the day, he achieves this.
Another friend, Mary (not her real name to maintain anonymity) has her consumption decisions influenced by identity. She consumes a product that will make her appear as other in the society. When purchasing a product Mary’s personal preferences play second fiddle to the need to feel part and parcel of the society. Mary prefers Android-based phones, but since her purchasing patterns are determined by her unwavering need to appear as one-of-the-gang, she bought an iPhone simply because her friends including me use an iPhone. Mary has low self-esteem and her self-identity i.e. how she perceives herself is largely compromised by her social identity i.e. how she wants her peers to perceive her. Even though she has a low self-esteem about herself and her preferences, Mary is well because she achieves her goal of pleasing her peers,
As we have seen above, one of the determinants of consumption is happiness. Therefore, this would translate that the more we consume a product of our choice, the happier we are. But is this usually the case? Does consuming more of a product which we have selected basing our decision on happiness make us happy? Statistics from the United States show that this is not usually as the case. Over time as people earned more income, the percentage of people who recorded to be happy decreased. How then are people unhappy yet the disposable income through which they can consume more products has increased? To answer this question, Kawachi and Kennedy (2002) pose another question ‘if money does not buy happiness, what does?’
Evidence gathered from a study in the United States reveal that the only one component of consumption is the one which is directly related to happiness i.e. leisure consumption. As asserted in class, marriage is one of the sources of happiness in one life, DeLeire and Kalil (2010) use it as a bench mark in their study and find out the happiness that one derives from $20,000 worth of leisure is equivalent to the happiness enjoyed by married couples. DeLeire and Kalil (2010) also found out that a $10,000 expenditure on leisure activities lead to a 0.17-point increase in the overall life satisfaction. Other components of consumption which are geared towards meeting the material needs of someone e.g. food, clothing and shelter do not contribute to the subjective well-being or happiness of a person (DeLeire and Kalil, 2010). Other components of consumption such donating to charitable organizations and receiving gives were found to bring a considerable amount of happiness and life satisfaction (DeLeire and Kalil, 2010).
The graph above was obtained from the study conducted by DeLeire and Kalil (2010). It shows the relationship between the income and the degree of happiness of a people living in the United States between the years 1957 and 2002. Note that, as income increases the degree of happiness of people does not increase at the same rate.
The decrease in the degree of happiness of people in the United States can be a leading factor of the increased cases of mental disorders. Compared to people born in 1915, those who were born after 1955 are ten times more likely to suffer from mental disorders. The decreased degree of happiness in the American society is also the reason for increased incidents of suicide and murder (DeLeire and Kalil, 2010). The advent of reality television and social media where people are being forced to watch and see other people lead better lives has also contributed to the low levels of self-esteem and low levels of happiness in the American society.
Finch (2006) also found out that, to ensure their well-being most people in the United States preferred organically-grown foods compared to the genetically modified foods. However, a large percentage of those who preferred organically-grown food reported to enjoy eating junk food in spite of knowing it is harmful to their health and well-being. The beliefs of people have had the major impact on the organic foods market and genetically modified goods market. The organic foods market has continued to flourish at the expense of the genetically modified foods market (Finch, 2006).
In conclusion, the material learned in class clearly depict the actual relationship between consumption and happiness over time. As labor unions continue to campaign for increased salaries, the level of happiness and life satisfaction continues to dwindle. Since we have established that leisure is major if not the primary contributor to happiness and that not many people engage in leisure activities due to strenuous work schedules. This situation results in an overworking workforce that is not happy and satisfied with life. Therefore, we should engage more in leisure activities, to improve our levels of happiness, life satisfaction, and well-being and also increase our life expectancy.
References
DeLeire, T., & Kalil, A. (2010). Does consumption buy happiness? Evidence from the United States. International Review Of Economics, 57(2), 163-176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12232-010-0093-6
Easterlin, R. (2001). Income and Happiness: Towards a Unified Theory. Economic Journal, 111(473), 465-484. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0297.00646
Finch, J. (2006). The Impact of Personal Consumption Values and Beliefs on Organic Food Purchase Behavior. Journal Of Food Products Marketing, 11(4), 63-76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j038v11n04_05
Miller, D. (2001). Consumption. London: Routledge.
Saad, G. (2010). The evolutionary bases of consumption. New York: Psychology Press.
