Should I Buy This When I Have So Much? Reflection on Personal Possessions as an Anticonsumption Strategy

Abstract

Despite having ample possessions, many Western consumers continue to buy new things frenetically. The authors propose an approach to resist shopping temptations and stifle the buying urge: getting consumers to reflect on and evoke a momentary desire for recently used possessions. This research contributes to the anticonsumption literature by theorizing that the desire to consume, like willpower, may function as a limited motivational resource: it becomes 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. The authors advance anticonsumption theory by broadening its scope. In addition to the previously proposed rejection, restriction, and reclaim strategies to help individuals shrug off marketing overtures and regulate purchasing activity, the authors suggest reflection as a practical intervention for policy makers, consumer advocates, and consumers to encourage prudent consumption.