Spiritual Transcendence, Mortality Salience and Consumer Behaviors: Is Spirituality Really Opposite to Materialism?

Abstract

In the current study (N = 161) we examined the effect of activation of spiritual transcendence and death anxiety on spending on hedonistic and status goods as expressing materialism. Additionally, the difference between the effects of spiritual transcendence in religious and non-religious form on consumer behaviors was examined. Basing on TMT assumption we expected increased spending on materialistic goods in the mortality salience condition. Spiritual transcendence, as logically opposite to materialism, was assumed to decrease levels of spending on materialistic goods. Finally, we examined whether spiritual transcendence, as related to transcending self (including own mortality) could serve as a buffer against death anxiety. We have found partial support for the assumption, that spiritual transcendence (only in non-religious form) indeed inhibits effects of mortality salience on higher spending on status goods.