Relationship between minimalism, happiness, life satisfaction, and experiential consumption

Relationship between minimalism, happiness, life satisfaction, and experiential consumption

This research objective is to propose and test a theoretical model representing the relationship between minimalism, happiness, life satisfaction, and experiential consumption. A survey with 395 Brazilian amateur runners was conducted, and the structural equation modeling technique was used for data analysis. The main results showed that life satisfaction and experiential consumption positively influence happiness, and minimalism influences experiential consumption in the sample studied. Furthermore, minimalism did not influence happiness. The proposed framework showed that life satisfaction and experiential consumption explain 54.2% of the happiness of leisure practitioners. Because people generally do not increase their happiness by choosing a simple lifestyle, they can decrease consumption by incentives other than happiness. Therefore, public policies aimed at raising awareness of the importance of reducing consumption should focus on other benefits, such as the benefits that can be gained from leisure and experiential consumption.