Paper Rik Pieters accepted for publication in the Journal of Consumer Psychology
The paper “Materialism and Life Satisfaction Relations Between and Within People Over Time: Results of a Three-Wave Longitudinal Study” by Rik Pieters together with Esther Jaspers (Massey University, NZ, and former Ph.D. student at Tilburg University), Mario Pandelaere (Virginia Tech) and L.J. Shrum (HEC) has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.
The paper also describes a straightforward method (random-intercept cross-lagged panel model: RI-CLPM), with all data and code, to analyze such longitudinal data more appropriately.
Abstract
The negative association between materialism and life satisfaction is well-documented, but it is unclear what the directionality of the association is. To address this issue, we (a) conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study (N = 6,551) over 3 years and examined the bidirectional relations between life satisfaction and materialism as a composite measure and with each of its three facets (happiness, success, centrality), and (b) estimated Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPMs) that separate inter- and intra-individual effects and compared them with traditional CLPMs that do not. The traditional CLPM showed bidirectional negative associations between composite materialism and life satisfaction and strong negative bidirectional association for the happiness facet, but positive effects of the centrality facet on life satisfaction. However, and importantly, the RI-CLPM revealed that these relations exist predominantly between people. Within people, materialism does not impact life satisfaction, but life satisfaction does impact the happiness facet negatively. These findings challenge common ideas that the direction of the effect is from materialism to life satisfaction and that it is unilaterally negative.
The link to the paper: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1350