Materialism and food security
Abstract
The present studies examined if materialists have an elevated concern about food availability, presumably stemming from a general survival security motivation. Study 1 found that materialists set a greater life goal of food security, and reported more food insecurity during their childhood. Materialists reported less present-day food insecurity. Study 2 revealed that materialists stored/hoarded more food at home, and that obese persons endorsed materialism more than low/normal weight persons. Study 3 found that experimentally decreasing participants' feelings of survival security (via a mortality salience manipulation) led to greater endorsement of materialism, food security as goal, and using food for emotional comfort. The results imply that materialists overcame the food insecurity of their childhood by making food security a top life goal, but that materialists' current concerns about food security may not wholly stem from genuine threats to their food supply.
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Participants exposed to mortality salience and who felt insecure (vs. secure) supported materialism more compared to those in the control condition.
“Results yielded no main effect, but an interaction effect between MS and a sense of security, indicating that participants who were exposed to MS and felt insecure (vs. secure) supported materialism more compared to those in the control condition.”
From Terror Management Theory in the Consumer Domain: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis on Mortality Salience Driven Consumer Responses (2025) · cites this paper as Allen and Wilson (2005, Study 3)
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“It even occurs without threats to physical security (Allen & Wilson, 2005).”
BackgroundInfluential
- Authors
- Allen, M. W., & Wilson, M.
- Affiliations
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Victoria University of Wellington (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Allen, M.W.
- ORCID
- Wilson, M.
- Venue
- Appetite
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-12
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 314-323
- ISSN
- 0195-6663 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1986715395
- Cited by
- 33
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 2.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Appetite (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- materialism, food security, food insecurity, mortality salience, food hoarding, childhood food insecurity, obesity, life goals
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Australia, Fear, Feeding Behavior, Female, Food Supply, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Obesity, Poverty, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Social Values, Socioeconomic Factors
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