Consumers' Hedonistic Orientation and Its Impact on Well-being
(A2026-133945)

AUTHORS

Rita Coelho do Vale, Universidade Cat�lica Portuguesa/Catolica Lisbon- School of Business and Economics; RIK PIETERS, Tilburg University - Catolica University Lisbon/Catolica University Lisbon

ABSTRACT

This research examines consumers' hedonistic orientation. It analyzes how consumers' orientation towards consuming objects for pleasure and self-enjoyment impacts their experienced well-being. We investigate this phenomenon across three studies. Study 1 employs a crowdsourcing approach to propose a brief measurement instrument for assessing consumers' hedonistic orientation. Study 2 examines the external validity of this brief instrument, investigating the relationships between consumers' happy hedonistic orientation, materialistic values, and their reported well-being. Study 3 assesses consumers' lay beliefs about happy, hedonistic individuals, examining the characteristics that consumers tend to associate with people who strive to experience pleasure in life. Findings indicate that consumers with a hedonistic orientation are perceived as social and happy individuals, offering a first small step towards reevaluating the phenomenon of happy hedonism.