Gratitude, not 'gimme,' makes for more satisfaction, Baylor University study finds
2014-04-01
(Press-News.org) People who are materialistic are more likely to be depressed and unsatisfied, in part because they find it harder to be grateful for what they have, according to a study by Baylor researchers.
The study — "Why are materialists less happy? The role of gratitude and need satisfaction in the relationship between materialism and life satisfaction" — appears in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
"Gratitude is a positive mood. It's about other people," said study lead author Jo-Ann Tsang, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and neuroscience in Baylor's College of Arts and Sciences. "Previous research that we and others have done finds that people are motivated to help people that help them — and to help others as well. We're social creatures, and so focusing on others in a positive way is good for our health."
But materialism tends to be "me-centered."
"Our ability to adapt to new situations may help explain why 'more stuff' doesn't make us any happier," said study co-author James Roberts, Ph.D., holder of The Ben H. Williams Professorship in Marketing in Baylor's Hankamer School of Business.
"As we amass more and more possessions, we don't get any happier; we simply raise our reference point," he said. "That new 2,500-square-foot house becomes the baseline for your desires for an even bigger house. It's called the Treadmill of Consumption. We continue to purchase more and more stuff but we don't get any closer to happiness, we simply speed up the treadmill."
Study results were based on an analysis of 246 members of the department of marketing in a mid-sized private university in the southwestern United States, with an average age of 21. They took part in a 15-minute survey using a 15-item scale of materialism.
Previous research suggests that materialists, despite the fact they are more likely to achieve material goals, are less satisfied overall with their lives. They are more likely to be unhappy and have lower self-esteem. They also are more likely to be less satisfied with relationships and less involved in community events.
Meanwhile, those who are grateful are likely to find more meaning in life, previous research shows.
The study notes that ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus advised, "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."INFORMATION:
Other researchers in the Baylor study include Thomas P. Carpenter, doctoral candidate in psychology and neuroscience at Baylor; Michael B. Frisch, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor; and Robert D. Carlisle, Ph.D., formerly of the department of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Clinical trial results inconsistently reported among journals, government website
2014-04-01
PORTLAND, Ore. — Medical researchers often presented the findings of their clinical trials in a different way on a federal government website than they did in the medical journals where their studies were ultimately published, according to an Oregon Health & Science University analysis published April 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers' reports in peer-reviewed medical journals often were more favorable to the drug or intervention being studied than the reports on the government website — ClinicalTrials.gov — which required data for specific categories, ...
Sobering update on Jamaica's largest vertebrate
2014-04-01
In 1990, the Jamaican iguana was removed from the list of extinct species when a small population was re-discovered on the island. Unfortunately, the species continues to be critically endangered, with only a single location left for the recovering population, now greater than 200 individuals, in a protected area called the Hellshire Hills, part of the Portland Bight Protected Area. A recent proposal by Jamaican government officials to allow extensive development in this area is causing concern among conservationists who have been working to save this species and the wealth ...
Baylor professsor's study reveals strength training can decrease heart risks in children
2014-04-01
WACO, Texas (March 31, 2014) – Early strengthening activities can lead to a decrease in cardiometabolic health risks in children and adolescents, according to results of a new study by a Baylor University professor and a team of researchers.
Until recently, treatment for adolescent obesity and associated health problems has focused mostly on diet modifications and aerobic exercise such as walking or swimming.
But a recent research study appearing this month in Pediatrics by Paul M. Gordon, Ph.D., professor and chair of health, human performance and recreation department ...
Male-dominated societies are not more violent, study says
2014-04-01
Conventional wisdom and scientific arguments have claimed that societies with more men than women, such as China, will become more violent, but a University of California, Davis, study has found that a male-biased sex ratio does not lead to more crime.
Rates of rape, sexual assault and homicide are actually lower in societies with more men than women, the study found. And, evolutionary theories predicting that when males outnumber females, males will compete vigorously for the limited number of mates don't bear out. The study, "Too many men: the violence problem?" is ...
Scientific evidence shows need to regulate antimicrobial ingredients in consumer products
2014-04-01
Does the widespread and still proliferating use of antimicrobial household products cause more harm than good to consumers and the environment? Evidence compiled in a new feature article published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology by Arizona State University professor Rolf Halden shows that decades of widespread use of antimicrobials has left consumers with no measurable benefits.
Worse yet, lax regulation has caused widespread contamination of the environment, wildlife and human populations with compounds that appear more toxic than safe, according to ...
Research finding could lead to new therapies for patients with gluten intolerance
2014-04-01
Hamilton, ON (April 1, 2014) Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a key molecule that could lead to new therapies for people with celiac disease, an often painful and currently untreatable autoimmune disorder.
Celiac disease is a food sensitivity to dietary gluten contained in cereals. In people who are genetically predisposed, gluten containing food will trigger an immune response that leads to destruction of the intestinal lining, abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, malnutrition and many other symptoms that include anemia, and neurological problems. ...
New screening tool to diagnose common sleep problem in children
2014-04-01
OTTAWA, Canada, April 1, 2014 — Clinical investigators at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) have developed a new screening tool to help diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in children. Their findings are published in Pediatric Pulmonology.
Evidence suggests that adults with a large neck circumference are more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), especially males. As neck circumference varies by age and sex, there have been no reference ranges to diagnose pediatric OSA up until now. The new evidence-based diagnostic tool includes reference ranges ...
New test makes Parkinson's-like disorder of middle age detectable in young adulthood
2014-04-01
The very earliest signs of a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder, in which physical symptoms are not apparent until the fifth decade of life, are detectable in individuals as young as 30 years old using a new, sophisticated type of neuroimaging, researchers at UC Davis, the University of Illinois and UCLA have found.
People with the condition — fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) — experience tremors, poor balance, cognitive impairments and Parkinsonism. The genetic condition results from a mutation in the fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1). ...
Computers teach each other Pac-Man
2014-04-01
PULLMAN, Wash. – Researchers in Washington State University's School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science have developed a method to allow a computer to give advice and teach skills to another computer in a way that mimics how a real teacher and student might interact.
Matthew E. Taylor, WSU's Allred Distinguished Professor in Artificial Intelligence, reports on his method in the journal Connection Science. The work was funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Researchers had the agents – as the virtual robots are called – act like true student ...
Nanosheets and nanowires
2014-04-01
Researchers in China, [J. Appl. Cryst. (2014). 47, 527-531] have found a convenient way to selectively prepare germanium sulfide nanostructures, including nanosheets and nanowires, that are more active than their bulk counterparts and could open the way to lower cost and safer optoelectronics, solar energy conversion and faster computer circuitry.
Germanium monosulfide, GeS, is emerging as one of the most important "IV–VI" semiconductor materials with potential in opto-electronics applications for telecommunications and computing, and as an absorber of light for use ...