Not materialistic, just neurotic. The mediating effect of neuroticism on the relationship between attitudes to material assets and well-being

Abstract

The impact of neuroticism upon the effect of materialism and attitudes toward money on well-being has been examined in a sample of 130 adults. The results of correlation analyses closely resembled previous findings and showed the positive association between materialism and neuroticism, and negative between both materialism and neuroticism and well-being. Attitudes related to effective dealing with financial matters were connected positively with well-being and negatively or not at all with neuroticism, whereas attitudes indicating problems with financial control were associated with poorer well-being and higher neuroticism. The novelty of the results related to the role of neuroticism in the relationship between attitudes toward material assets and well-being: neuroticism mediated the relationship between materialism and well-being and the poor financial control and well-being. It had also a significant indirect effect on the link between expecting pleasure from dealing with money and diminishing well-being. The result suggest that attitudes people have toward material assets predict well-being mainly to the extent that they accompany neuroticism, having limited direct association with well-being after relationships between neuroticism and well-being is statistically controlled.