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Do possessions make you happier? Is money the key to life satisfaction? Or, on the flip side, will reducing material wealth and adopting a minimalist lifestyle allow you to live a more fulfilled life?
New research from the University of Otago in New Zealand suggests that neither consumerism nor minimalism are the keys to happiness. The study, published in The Journal of Macromarketing, indicates that happier people are those whose lifestyle encourages sharing and building interpersonal connections. However, reducing material possession may assist in living such a lifestyle, earth.com reports.
Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being
The study, StudyFinds explains, explored two facets of well-being: hedonic and eudaimonic. Hedonic wellbeing refers to feeling happy and satisfied in daily life. Eudaimonic well-being is a deeper level of life satisfaction related to fulfillment and personal growth.
Researchers used a questionnaire to learn about the lifestyles and well-being of 1,643 New Zealanders. The participants surveyed represented a range of ages and income levels.
Voluntary Simplicity
The questionnaire asked about habits associated with a lifestyle of voluntary simplicity. These behaviors included sharing and conserving resources, community building, living simply, buying local, and working towards self-sufficiency.
Survey data showed a clear link between personal satisfaction and beneficence — defined as sharing resources and skills within a community. Happy individuals were more likely to practice voluntary simplicity, and especially with regards to sharing resources and community building. These results held true regardless of age or income level.
“It’s not directly the commitment to material simplicity that leads to wellbeing, but the psychological and emotional need fulfilment that derives from relationships, social connection, community involvement and a sense of living a purposeful and meaningful life,” Professor Rob Aitken, lead study author told earth.com.
The Benefits of Sharing and Building Community
The study, according to earth.com, specifically measured activities such as community gardening, clothing swaps, and neighborhood lending programs and found clear links between these behaviors and higher levels of wellbeing.
These activities allow individuals to engage with and contribute to their communities. When such activities are integrated into daily routines and practiced habitually, people report feeling more satisfied.
Voluntary simplicity isn’t just good for personal fulfillment and psychological health. It can also benefit environmental health. 95.1 billion metric tons of material consumption were produced in 2019, a 66 percent increase over the year 2000. This overproduction, driven by consumer culture, increases global emissions and contributes to pollution and deforestation. This study indicates that people can cut back and reduce the environmental impacts of consumerism without sacrificing happiness.
Lasting happiness and living simply isn’t about what you own or what you give up. It’s about the people you connect with. To live a more meaningful and fulfilled life, share your talents and resources with your community and borrow from others. Swap, lend, borrow, give, get involved, and build relationships that will enhance your life.
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