Decoupling the Self from the Stuff: The Role of Buddhist Non-attachment in Reducing Materialism and Impulsive Buying

Abstract

In today's high-stress economies, consumption is frequently fueled by a psychological craving for possessions as a source of identity, status, and self-worth. Based on Buddhist psychology, the current study tested whether psychological non-attachment has a direct effect on impulsive buying, or an indirect effect through its influence on materialistic values. Data were collected from a survey of 200 adult consumers (64.0% male and 36.0% female) and analyzed using multiple regression and mediation analysis. Non-attachment (measured by the 7-item Non-Attachment Scale) was a significant negative predictor of impulsive buying (B = -0.149, p = .035) and materialistic values (measured by the Material Values Scale) was a significant positive predictor (B = 0.236, p < .001). The predictors explained 9.2% of the variance in impulsive buying (R² = .092). A mediation model further showed that materialistic values partially mediated the relationship between non-attachment and impulsive buying (indirect effect B = -0.048, p = .027), with a significant direct effect remaining (B = -0.149, p = .032). These findings indicate that non-attachment curtails impulsive buying through both a value-mediated pathway (via reduced materialism) and a residual, materialism-independent pathway. The results extend consumer behavior theory by introducing a Buddhist-derived construct as an explanatory mechanism and offer preliminary support for non-attachment-oriented interventions as a tool for promoting more deliberate, well-being-oriented consumption.