Happy Relationships Lead to Less Superficiality

Ever wonder if your relationship has anything to do with that little compulsive  shopping habit of yours? Well, it may. A recent study shows people in happier relationships tend to have less attachments to material objects while those who aren’t may cling to them.

The Yale University research makes an interesting and eye-opening claim: if people do not feel loved and accepted by others, they turn to material items and monetary possessions to boost their confidence and security. In turn, people in happier relationships may not stress as much about the next paycheck or the latest designer bag.

“We conducted two studies, and the basic finding in both is that if you make people feel interpersonally secure, they’ll place a lower monetary value on possessions,” said study author Margaret Clark, a professor of psychology at Yale.”I think people consciously know very well that they don’t need everything they want to acquire or have. They don’t need to be told that. But, they may not be aware of why they do this,” she said.

The study – conducted on more than 200 women and men between ages 18 and 70 – found that people who didn’t feel personally supported in relationships placed more value on material objects and tend to cling to personal possessions.

Have you ever turned to material objects to help deal with a bad relationship?