Expensive happiness: The impact of luxury consumption on happiness levels

Abstract

Shopping and consumer goods have increased availability of designer brands and luxury goods in recent years. The result of choice and spending behaviours in the Irish population has developed desires and prohibitive cost spending on designer goods. The current study will test the hypothesis that purchasing luxury goods increases happiness levels in Irish society. The study tests previous literature on concluding that media influences and anxieties are the motivations for compulsive and luxury spending. Correlational analysis reveals no positive relationship existing between happiness and luxury purchasing. Overall the study indicates other factors such as materialism and generational characteristics which may influence our intention to improve happiness with luxury spending