- Experiencing a VIP lifestyle briefly increases a person’s sense of well-being
- But, return to reality is more depressing that never having the experience
11:13 EST, 30 April 2014
|
11:49 EST, 30 April 2014
Many people dream of driving fast cars, drinking champagne and taking luxury holidays.
But, having a taste of the high life can leave people depressed, according to new research.
This is because getting the chance to drive a Ferrari or upgrade to first class on a flight only has a short-lived feel-good effect.
Having a brief taste of the high life can make people depressed, new research suggests
And the return to reality afterwards is more depressing than never having the experience in the first place.
An experiment by researchers at Belgium’s Ghent University found those who get the chance to own luxury products or brands have high levels of ‘subjective well-being.’
In other words, they feel good about themselves.
But those who only get the chance to use such products before handing them back, see well-being levels rise at first but then fall significantly afterwards.
And they end up with a lower sense of well-being than they had to begin with, said the study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life.
Marketing and communication experts Liselot Hudders and Mario Pandelaere tested the links between luxury and well-being with 308 volunteers.
The return to reality is more depressing than never having had the experience
Each was given either ‘luxury’ or ‘ordinary’ versions of chocolate and pens to try out.
But some were allowed to take the item home and others had to hand it back after using it.
Chocolate and pens were chosen for the study because they had a universal appeal across both men and women. Most of those taking part were young adults, said the researchers.
After taking the item home or giving it back, the volunteers were taken through a specifically designed questionnaire to measure their ‘sense of well-being.’
It found those allowed to take home the upmarket items, rated the items themselves as more luxurious than those not allowed to keep them.
But, more importantly, those who got to keep their luxury items were ‘significantly more satisfied with their lives’ than others.
And those who had to hand back their luxury items saw themselves as less satisfied with life afterwards, said Liselot Hudders.
She added: ‘People are more satisfied with life when they own luxury products than when they only get to use them.
‘This is in line with prior research that equates consumption with ownership.
‘In contrast, the mere use or mere knowledge of luxury products seems to be detrimental for one’s satisfaction with life.’
or comment on this article
-
Cop shoots dead 19-year-old girl in raid on house party
-
Hockey superfan aged two becomes viral sensation
-
Self-styled Instagram king throws a NAKED porn star off a…
-
LISTEN: Clippers owner Donald Sterling in racist rant
-
GRAPHIC CONTENT: Moment dead Sperm Whale EXPLODES
-
Shocking moment father kicks 6-year-old son off of skate…
-
WOAH! Eye watering POV footage of 140MPH bike crash
-
GRAPHIC CONTENT: Mom beats daughter for Facebook pics
-
Magic Johnson and Clippers coach react to Sterling…
-
Take a tour of one man’s dream ‘Dome Home’ built for $9,000
-
Lily Collins makes her romcom debut in trailer for Love…
-
Two men brawl in London underground tube carriage
-
‘Unfortunately it is true, they have split up’: Friends of…
-
American man loses almost 400lbs in just over a year with…
-
Killer dies of heart attack after FORTY MINUTES writhing in…
-
The life and death of the real ‘Lil Snoop’: Meet the teenage…
-
Dashcam video released of police officer who witnesses claim…
-
Disabled wife and her devastated husband kill themselves in…
-
Japanese porn star’s plastic surgery obsession leaves her…
-
Donald Sterling REFUSES to sell Clippers: Racist owner says…
-
Know Mas! Taco Bell reveals ‘secret’ ingredients in its…
-
Hilarious moment a squirrel attacks man who only wanted to…
-
Med student, 27, auctions off her virginity with the highest…
-
Knox ‘inflicted knife wound that killed Meredith after…
Comments (1)
what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
Newser11,
Miami, United States,
26 minutes ago
No way, you don’t say. Gotta maintain that lifestyle.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now