When Wanting Is Better than Having: Materialism, Transformation Expectations, and Product-Evoked Emotions in the Purchase Process
PRIMARY, two cross-sectional studies and one longitudinal study of emotions evoked by products before and after purchase. high-materialism consumers consistently showed raised product-evoked emotions before purchase and a decline after purchase, while low-materialism consumers did not show this pattern. Elevation is attributed to expectations among high-materialism consumers that the purchase will transform their lives in significant and meaningful ways. The author's hedged conclusion is that, for these consumers, anticipating and desiring a product may be inherently more pleasurable than having it
PRIMARY, two cross-sectional studies and one longitudinal study of emotions evoked by products before and after purchase. high-materialism consumers consistently showed raised product-evoked emotions before purchase and a decline after purchase, while low-materialism consumers did not show this pattern. Elevation is attributed to expectations among high-materialism consumers that the purchase will transform their lives in significant and meaningful ways. The author's hedged conclusion is that, for these consumers, anticipating and desiring a product may be inherently more pleasurable than having it
Written from the abstract read 2026-10-18.
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Richins, M. L. (2013). When Wanting Is Better than Having: Materialism, Transformation Expectations, and Product-Evoked Emotions in the Purchase Process. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(1), 1-18. doi:10.1086/669256.