Why do materialistic values undermine flow experiences? The role of self-regulatory resources

Amy Isham, Birgitta Gatersleben and Tim Jackson

Research has shown that the possession of materialistic values can lead individuals to be less likely to experience flow, an important component of well-being. Flow describes a state of total immersion in an optimally challenging activity. It requires effort to achieve, as individuals must acquire the necessary skills to effectively engage with a challenging task and choose to dedicate all of their attention to it. Once in flow, individuals may experience a lack of boundaries between themselves and the action they are performing and temporarily lose awareness of time and their everyday worries. Flow experiences are intrinsically rewarding. Flow experiences have long been considered as beneficial for wellbeing, having been linked to greater self-confidence, higher life satisfaction and greater positive affect, amongst others.

Despite the beneficial nature of flow, emerging evidence is suggesting that individuals holding strong materialistic values are less able to have these experiences. Individuals with strong materialistic values hold firm beliefs concerning the importance of acquiring material goods to achieve happiness and status. It has been demonstrated that highly materialistic students in the US and India felt more alienated (separated from own experience) during their work, leisure, and personal relationships, compared to their less materialistic counterparts.

Difficulties in experiencing flow may have detrimental effects for the wellbeing of more materialistic individuals. Indeed, strong materialistic values have been negatively linked to many facets of personal wellbeing such as self-esteem, life satisfaction and positive affect. In this research we test several hypotheses concerning the potential mediating factors in this relationship.


For a full read of this essay, click here or on the picture to download the pdf file.