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Affluenza: Happiness Lost!

*Dr. Mamta Sharma

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala.

**Harjyot Khosa

Research Scholar at Punjabi University, Patiala & National Training

Coordinator, HIV/AIDS Alliance

New Delhi

India

Abstract

Affluenza occurs when individuals are in pursuit of money, wealth, and material possession

at the expense of other sources of self-esteem and contentment. It has reached epidemic

proportions and has produced numerous symptoms detrimental to our children‘s social and

emotional development. The present study aimed to study the impact of Affluenza on

Happiness of young students. A sample of 200 male and female students in the age range of

18-24 yrs from different colleges and departments of Punjab University Chandigarh, were

administered Affluenza Scale (Oliver James, 2007) and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire

(Hills and Argyle, 2002). It was hypothesized that i) Affluent youth will score low on

happiness as compared to non-affluent youth, ii) Affluent females will have higher happiness

level as compared to affluent males. Analysis of variance revealed that affluent and non-

affluent differed significantly (F=709.54**) on happiness levels. Results also revealed

significant gender differences (F=19.58**) in happiness levels of affluent participants.

Females scored much higher (M=3.97) on happiness scale in comparison to males (M=3.08).

Key Words: Affluenza, Happiness, Gender, Youth

Stepping into the period of youth means to develop a sense of responsibility and taking one‘s

life seriously. But unfortunately, seven million youngsters have only limited potential for

becoming productive adults (Joy G. Dryfoos, 1990). Youth within the last two decades have

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come to be seen as a source of trouble rather than as a resource for investing. Across the

globe, a generation of youth is rapidly reaching adulthood bearing the tragic consequences of

their nation‘s worst problems (IRIN In-Depth, February 2007). The problem gets even more

aggravated when the parents give privileges without demanding performance. Lost in the

pursuit of earning more and more, money is considered the elucidation for all of our

problems; failing to understand that ‗excess of everything is bad‘. This disposition of placing

a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and

wanting to be famous is called ―Affluenza‖ (James, 2007).

Affluenza,‖ a term ―coined to describe an epidemic of over-consumption and its often

negative effects on children-alienation, laziness, arrogance and low self-esteem, is not merely

a hypothetical problem, but in fact is an ailment of the wealthy, and a ―disorder‖ among

parents and children across all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Affluenza is

defined as the bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that result from efforts to keep up with

the Joneses; and an epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged

pursuit of the American Dream

Jessie H. O‘Neill (2013) defines affluenza as ‗the collective addictions, character flaws,

psychological wounds, neuroses, and behavioral disorders caused or exacerbated by the

presence of, or desire for wealth…….‘.It is the effect of materialism on the individuals

subconscious, which manifest itself in unbalanced relationships with oneself, others and

money (Lami, R. 2003). Affluenza is the term used to explain the problems that occur ―when

individuals are in pursuit of money, wealth, and material possession at the expense of other

sources of self-esteem and contentment‖ (Koplewicz & Williams, 2006). It is a painful,

contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from

the dogged pursuit of more (J. de Graaf, D. Wann & T. H. Naylor-2002).

Affluenza has reached epidemic proportions and has produced numerous symptoms

detrimental to our children‘s social and emotional development. Usually, money is co-related

with happiness, but it can be asserted that there is a correlation between the increasing nature

of affluenza and the resulting increase in material inequality: the more unequal a society, the

greater the unhappiness (O. James, 2007).Children who are raised surrounded by wealth and

indulgence are at greater risk for psychosocial and education problems, stress disorders,

abuse, neglect, substance abuse, depression, and underachievement at rates exceeding their

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urban or middle class counterparts (Koplewicz, H. & Williams, K., 2006). The present study

has focused upon affluenza that has led millions to be a victim of unhappiness.

The myth of American dream is that that money can, should and does buy happiness. People

characterized by affluenza have developed the false sense of entitlement as well as an

inability to delay gratification. Far from guaranteeing happiness, wealth or the single-minded

pursuit of affluenza can destroy happiness, or at the least exacerbate existing problems. Once

basic physical needs are taken care of (i.e., a person has enough to eat, adequate shelter and

basic clothing) most ―returns to happiness‖ come from social and psychological sources.

Enjoying rich personal relationships and finding a deeper sense of purpose in one‘s life is

much more likely to cultivate happiness than simply being upwardly mobile (Hunter J.,

2002).

Affluent youth develop an inappropriate sense of entitlement and happiness regarding

material possessions and opportunities, without a corresponding sense that such benefits must

be related to hard work. They deny and ignore the effects of chronic social conditions on the

personal and collective realities. So perhaps it is modern secular society, with its determined

"intolorenza" towards old-fashioned values, leading towards "affluenza" in youth. Research

by American Demographics found that among 18- to 34-year-olds (children of Baby

Boomers and Generation X), 23 percent of men and 26 percent of women confessed to

―always or frequently‖ coveting their neighbors‘ goods. Sixty percent of the same age group

confirmed they were jealous of ―celebrities or public figures,‖ whose lifestyles are

glamorized by television shows. Not surprisingly, money is the item most coveted among this

age group (Pack D., 2012).

Life itself is an infinite source and course of happiness, which in its most sublime form is

referred to as bliss. People who experience an abundance of positive emotions and few

negatives emotions, and who also feel satisfied with their lives are defined as happy, or high

in Subjective well-being (Steve R. Baumgardner & Marie K. Crothers, 2009). It's hard for

affluent youth to value their accomplishments. They suspect their successes are due to wealth

and position. It's hard to be sure they have achieved anything, or are really liked by others, or

they are worth of something (Gerald Le Van, 2008). They are stung by others' resentment of

their good fortune. Unhappiness frequently results when people believe that they are either

not able to successfully do the things they care about or that they are generally unworthy.

Wealth is not always a blessing, this was the thinking envisaged by Dr. Jung as he affirmed

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that wealth could be a curse also and quoted: ―You have acquired a false security. And it is

this false security on which you live that causes your feelings of inferiority. One lives

wrapped in cotton, protected from the cold and heat. It is not good never to be cold or hot.‖

This is very true in context of today‘s world. As today we are programmed, to think that

money is our way to happiness, security, success, and well-being. However, we can see that

having money has its pitfalls also.

Affluenza is an epidemic outbreak caused by people‘s materialistic, greedy need to buy

things, which has resulted to the current struggles that our society is challenged with today

(de Graff, Boe, 1998). Affluenza virus, silently, is gripping our physical as well as mental

health by sticking on young vibrant and intelligent youth and making them a sour point in

society. As a society, we talk endlessly about the effects of raising children in poverty. We

don‘t talk enough about the challenges of raising children in prosperity. Youth in poverty are

widely recognized as being ―at-risk‖, but increasingly, significant problems have been seen at

the other end of the socioeconomic continuum. Children of affluent parents are often

excluded in psychological research as they are considered to be at "low risk"; however,

research is beginning to suggest that this previously under-studied population may be at risk

for developing multiple problem behaviors, including substance use and externalizing

problems (Luthar, S. S., & Barkin, S. H., 2012). Very little research, especially in developing

countries like India, has been done to study the complex and harmful psychological dynamics

of Affluenza. Keeping in mind the long-standing neglect of a group of affluent youngsters

and dearth of research in this area, it can be ascertained there is an imperative need to explore

the impact of Affluenza on Happiness levels of youth.The present research has been

planned to explore the effects of affluenza documented among affluent Indian youth, on

a counterintuitive notion that upper-middle class youth are more likely to be more

troubled than their middle-class counterparts. The study verified the following

hypotheses:

1. Affluent youth will score low on happiness as compared to non-affluent youth.

2. Affluent females will have higher happiness level as compared to affluent males.

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Method

Sample: A total of 200 males and females students between the ages of 18 and 24 years

randomly selected from different colleges and departments of Punjab University, Chandigarh

served as participants in the present study.

Tools Used

Affluenza Scale (Oliver James, 2007): It gauges the Affluenza virus and the distress

generated by it. It has ten items to measure the level of Affluenza distress on a Likert scale

(1=‗‗never‘‘ to 5=‗‗always‘‘). The scores interpret tantalizing clues of such an effect ranging

from not distressed to severely distressed. It elaborates the effect of Affluenza virus increases

ones susceptibility to commonest emotional distresses: depression, anxiety, substance abuse

and personality disorders.

Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Hills and Argyle, 2002): It is a 29-item questionnaire

(OHQ), with the widely used Likert Scale as a scoring format (1=strongly disagree to

6=strongly agree).The OHQ was derived as an improved version of the Oxford Happiness

Inventory (Argyle, Martin, &Crossland, 1989). Argyle reports acceptable construct validity

for the OHQ by providing data on correlations with other self-report scales of personality

traits, human strengths, and subjective well-being.

Procedure

All the participants were provided with the questionnaires of Affluenza to gauge the

Affluenza virus and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire to assess the happiness level. Both the

questionnaires were administered, scored and interpreted in accordance with the instructions

provided in the respective manuals. After scoring of questionnaires, both males and females

were categorized into two groups, i.e. ‗Affluenza‘ and ‗Non Affluenza‘. Corresponding

scores of these two groups on happiness were compared to see any significant difference

between participants high and low on affluenza. If any participant had difficulty in

understanding any item, care was taken while translating items and ensuring semantic

similarity with original items.

Results and Discussion

Table 1: Comparison of Means, SDs and F-ratios for Happiness scores in relation to Gender

and Affluenza

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VARIABLES LEVELS MEANS SD F-RATIO

GENDER MALES 3.08 0.89

19.58** FEMALES 3.97 0.87

AFFLUENZA AFFLUENT 2.10 0.76

709.54** NON-AFFLUENT 4.46 0.99

**p<.01

Table 2: ANOVA Summary for the effect of Gender and Affluenza on Happiness scores

SOURCE OF VARIANCE SS DF MS F

GENDER (A) 15.41 1.00 15.41 19.58**

AFFLUENZA (B) 558.14 1.00 558.14 709.54**

AB 2.18 1.00 2.18 2.77ns

Error 311.50 396.00 0.79

Ns-Non Significant

**p<.01

It is inferred from table no 1that individuals who were high on affluenza scored significantly

low on happiness levels as compared to those who were low on affluenza. The results

revealed significant differences (F =709.54**) between affluent and non-affluent on

happiness level. Non affluent youth have more happiness level, as compared to affluent youth

which led to the acceptance of our first hypothesis. The second hypothesis, that the happiness

level would be stronger in females, is supported by the results, as significant difference

(F=19.58**) has been found between males and females, as shown in table 1. The interaction

between affluenza and gender came out to be non significant (F=2.77).

Both the hypotheses of the present research have been proved and are supported by Millar

and Thomas (2009), whose research found that ―both high and low materialists associated

experiential purchases with high levels of happiness‖. Materialists, however, were happier

with material purchases than with creative activity. Millar and Thomas suggest that perhaps

materialists collect experiences much like they collect objects. Nonetheless, since experiential

purchases tend to produce greater levels of happiness then it may motivate future behaviour.

If purchasing experiences like vacations or trips to an amusement park are spent with family

and friends, and if those ties are strengthened as a result, then it might lead to changes in

values. Kasser (1993) reminds us that while our behavior is often rooted in our values, ―we

can nonetheless change our behavior before we change our values‖.

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Affluent youth fail to be happy and take their life positively. This tends to increase their

negative thinking and lower the level of self-worth. The idea here is that increased wealth has

diminishing marginal utility, in relation to other goods that have to be foregone in order to

achieve it. Any good, in economic theory, becomes relatively less valuable, relative to other

goods, as it becomes more abundant. An additional unit of wealth in an affluent society will

thus be experienced as of less value than the goods that have to be foregone to obtain it. If

rising incomes are achieved only at the cost of - in Robert Lane‘s terms - less companionship,

or less time spent with our children, partners or friends, or doing the things that we most

enjoy, then it is no surprise if we do not feel happier for being richer, and perhaps less happy.

Social science research has consistently shown that lasting well-being does not come from

material consumption. Once basic physical needs are taken care of (i.e., a person has enough

to eat, adequate shelter and basic clothing) most ―returns to happiness‖ come from social and

psychological sources. Enjoying rich personal relationships and finding a deeper sense of

purpose in one‘s life is much more likely to cultivate happiness than simply being upwardly

mobile. Recent researches have focused on absolute income that was thought to have no

influence on happiness (Easterlin 2003; Easterlin et al. 2011); however, Psychologist Edward

Diener, of the University of Illinois at Urbana, has found that it‘s not the money, but the

striving for it, that is linked to happiness. Recent evidence suggests a positive relationship

might exists till the time it is well managed (Aknin, Norton, and Dunn 2009; Kahneman and

Deaton 2010; Sacks, Stevenson, and Wolfers 2012); and whereas it can also have a negative

impact on their children (Kahneman et al. 2004). There are many happiness triggers in life,

and each person has a different set of triggers that make them feel happy. These may be a

special relationship, creating wealth, work achievement, success, power, popularity, status,

physical beauty, career positions, social status, a neat home environment, possessions and the

like (Gavin H., 2008). According to Jigme Singye Wangchuck (1972) Gross national

happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological

terms than gross national product. Since 2009, Bhutan has introduced and studied the concept

of Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, based on nine socio-cultural/environmental

domains and a series of 33 indicators mapped over 124 variables; applied to Bhutan

population. The indicators of Gross national happiness reflect that positive experiences tend

to bring greater enduring happiness than positive material purchases (Howell and Hill 2009;

Nicolao, Irwin, and Goodman 2009; Van Boven and Gilovich 2003). Compared to material

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purchases, experiential purchases have been shown to be more self-defining (Carter &

Gilovich 2012), more interpersonally connecting (Chan & Mogilner 2013), harder to compare

against forgone alternatives (Carter & Gilovich 2010), more unique (Rosenzweig & Gilovich

2012), and subject to slower rates of hedonic adaptation (Nicolao, Irwin, & Goodman 2009).

The second hypothesis, that the happiness level would be stronger in females, is supported by

the results, as significant difference has been found between males and females. This

difference suggests that female youth with high happiness level are seeking to minimise their

incongruence through endorsement of affluent values, as they perceive that the acquisition of

products that are congruent with their ideal self will help them reduce the difference between

their actual and ideal self. Female youth with high happiness levels reported less affluenza,

suggesting that they are comfortable with who they are and therefore do not need to

compensate for perceived personal deficiencies. While the present research did not directly

explore buying motivation, this explanation of results is consistent with research conducted

by Dittmar (2005). Implicit in this proposition is the conception that affluenza is identity

seeking, and that high levels of self-discrepancies are associated with insecurity about one‘s

identity. Much research on affluenza (e.g. Dittmar, 2005; Sirgy, 1985) presupposed that

materialism is negative, largely due to its relationship with low levels of well-being (Kasser

& Kanner, 2004).

It can be concluded that Affluenza takes hold of us by finding weak spots in our immune

system. In this case, it‘s a psychological immune system—the system that monitors our

satisfaction with our lives and our selves. The money they are expected to provide may

obscure recognition of their personal abilities, further retarding their psychological growth as

a mature and independent individual, thus, hampering the expected progression of attaining

happiness in life

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