
2019 ENGLISH EXAM
TSSM 2019 Page 12 of 14
„Materialistic things bring forth some pleasurable moments, but never a sample of happiness,‟
Edmond Mbiaka. A strong negative association has been observed between materialism,
empathy, engagement with others and happiness. It is a proven fact that as people become more
materialistic, their wellbeing (good relationships and sense of purpose) diminishes.
Society has made a critical mistake by allowing ourselves to believe that having more money and
more material belongings enhances our wellbeing; a belief possessed by many. It can be noted
that worldly ambitions and material aspirations are a formula for mass unhappiness. As
ambitions for worldly power and possessions increase, so too do materialistic aspirations
dominate our modern consumerist world.
In recent years, researchers have reported a growing list of disadvantages to buying and spending
excessively. It causes damage to relationships and self-esteem, a heightened risk of depression
and anxiety, less time for what the research indicates truly makes people happy, like family,
friendship and engaging work. Furthermore, compulsive buying disorder (CBD) is characterised
by an obsession with shopping that causes adverse consequences. A clinical study suggests that
80 - 95% of persons with CBD are women. These persons are preoccupied with shopping and
spending and devote significant time to these behaviours.
In addition, studies show that poor people are especially likely to be unhappy if they emphasise
materialistic goals, while in some studies, materialistic rich people show fewer ill effects,
supposedly because they are meeting more of their goals. But even for the better-off, materialism
can create a nagging appetite that can never be satisfied.
„Compared with their grandparents, today's young adults have grown up with much more
affluence, slightly less happiness and a much greater risk of depression and assorted social
pathology,‟ David G. There is a definite deviation in behaviour which has given rise to social
ills. Many young adults have fallen into the trap of seeking materialistic ideals by being
extremely concerned with physical comforts or the acquisition of wealth and material
possessions, rather than with spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.
It is my belief that those who pursue wealth and material possessions tend to be less satisfied and
experience fewer positive emotions each day. On the other hand, research has found that life
satisfaction is correlated with having less materialistic values, which is no surprise.
However, there is a suggestion that there could be a connection between higher income and
increased life satisfaction. It seems that it may not be the money itself that leads to
dissatisfaction, but rather, the relentless striving for greater wealth and more possessions that
is linked to despondency which seems to be an ongoing quest for many in our society.
There is a relationship between materialism and the quality of marriages according to a study
published in the Journal Of Couple & Marriage Therapy. A survey was done on more than 1,700
couples to find that those in which both partners had high levels of materialism exhibited lower
marital quality than couples with lower materialism scores. Lower-quality relationships and a
low level of connection to others are students who tend to have higher extrinsic, materialistic
values. SECTION C – continued