Should I Buy This When I Have So Much? Reflection On Personal Possessions As An Anti-Consumption Strategy

Abstract

Despite having ample possessions, many Western consumers continue to buy new things frenetically. In this research, our central proposition is that one approach to resist shopping temptations and stifle the buying urge is to get consumers to reflect on and evoke a momentary desire for, recently used possessions. We contribute to the anti-consumption literature by theorizing that the desire to consume, like willpower, may function as a limited motivational resource, and get depleted upon reflecting about favored personal possessions, leaving less desire for subsequent shopping urges. Across four studies, consumers who reflected on their recently used personal possessions experienced less desire for an unexpectedly encountered product, were less likely to buy impulsively, and expressed a lower willingness-to-pay for new products. Our theorizing advances anti-consumption theory by broadening its scope. In addition to rejection, restriction, and reclaim, reflection is proposed as a fourth strategy for individ...