Current Research Interests
I have developed a consumer typology based on attitudes toward money (tight to loose with money) and material values (high to low materialism). This leads to four basic types of consumers: the Value Seeker is tight with money and materialistic; the Big Spender is loose with money and materialistic; the Non-Spender is tight with money and not materialistic; and the Experiencer is loose with money and not materialistic). I have completed one empirical study, in which I 1) tested the typology, 2) related materialism to cultural values (self-construal), and 2) assessed happiness and well-being in relation to the typology. I presented the results at the 2008 APA convention (Tatzel, 2008). Currently I am in the process of doing a second study to further test the typology ansd its impliocations.
I see myself as part of a larger scholarly movement, namely quality-of-life studies, which subsumes positive psychology as well as consumer well-being. It is often assumed that economic prosperity is a primary aim of government and of individuals too. But research on well-being challenges this assumption: once basic needs are met, increase in wealth has but a small influence on happiness and well-being. Moreover, holding material values and having strong financial aspirations are found to be negatively related to well-being (I have found this too). This point of view is captured in the title of the monograph, “Beyond Money: Toward an Economy of Well-Being” (Diener and Seligman, 2004).
My scholarly work is entwined with my teaching. One of the joys of being a teacher is to share with my students what I am learning and what I am excited about. I am constantly scanning material for use in my courses and are relevant for my research. In the process, I develop a store of materials to help students enrich their individual research.
References
Diener, E., & Seligman, M.E.P. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(1).
Tatzel, M. (2002). “Money Worlds” and well-being: An integration of money dispositions, materialism and price-related behavior. Journal of Economic Psychology, 23, 103-126.
Tatzel, M. (2003). The art of Buying: Coming to terms with money and materialism. Journal of Happiness Studies, 4, 406-436.
Tatzel, M. (2008). Money and materialism typology, self-construal, and well-being. Presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston.