I am what I do, not what I have: The differential centrality of experiential and material purchases to the self - Carter & Gilovich (2012) - Article

Why are experiences closer connected to the self than material possessions?

Research has shown that experiences constitute a bigger part of our sense of self than our material possessions. This is because our possessions, no matter how many we have of them, remain physically outside of our ´self´, whereas experiences live on in our memories and are part of our ´stories´. As they become parts of our autobiography, they become us.

How does declarative memory relate to our sense of self?

Declarative memory consists of episodic and semantic memory. Semantic memory is our storage of general knowledge about the world and where we ´summarize´ our sense of self (e.g. “I am a good cook”). Episodic memory consists of our first-hand recollections of experiences that confirm the summaries we have about ourselves (e.g. “Last Christmas I made a fantastic dinner for the family”). It is through our memories that we create our sense of self. Once we have lived an experience, it persists as an episodic memory that is autobiographical by nature and creates our self-concept. Someone´s memories of a possession (or the use of possessions as an extended self) do also connect material possessions to the self, but to a much lesser degree.

Why do we have to distinguish between material and materialistic purchases?

Material purchases are the tangible objects purchased with the goal of ownership. Materialistic purchases are purchases made with the intent of signaling wealth or status, either to oneself or others. Materialistic people tend to make materialistic purchases and derive much of their happiness from signaling their wealth. They often measure their success by their wealth and define themselves and others based on their purchases, status, and wealth. There are big differences in people´s interest in materialistic consumption. It is possible that these personality differences moderate the tendency for people´s experiences to constitute a bigger part of their self-image.

Can an experience be materialistic?

An experience only becomes materialistic when the additional utility one derives from the extra expense is less about the experience itself, and more about the signal it sends. Material possessions often serve the materialistic purpose better than experiences, because they are more visible and are better at signaling someone´s status and prosperity.

How does the closer connection to the self improve the satisfaction of experiences?

Experiences become especially satisfying as a result of their closer connection to the self. The first reason for that is due to the self-serving bias. It is human nature to evaluate oneself more positively, and evaluating the quality of one´s experiences is like evaluating aspects of oneself. The second reason is that the subjective nature of experiences makes it easier to find positive dimensions of evaluation. The ambiguity of experiences creates the possibility of different interpretations, whereas that is difficult of a material possession that is not good. The last reason is that accomplishing a higher order goal usually takes on special importance and is tied even closer to our sense of self. Because experiences are relatively abstract, they are more likely than possessions to be construed at a high level.

What main conclusions can be drawn with regards to the connectedness of experiences and material possessions to the self?

• People consider their experiential purchases to be closer to their sense of self than their material purchases. Even those who were very materialistic did not place their possessions closer to their self-concept than their experiences.
• When people tell their life story, they are more likely to draw upon their experiential purchases than their material purchases.
• People find that experiential purchases say more about their true selves and the ´selves´ of others.
• The greater satisfaction people derive from their experiential purchases is related to their greater connection to the self.
• People find that their experiential memories are more important to them than their material possessions, and ´losing´ one of their experiential purchases would more significantly alter their sense of self.