Abstract
The pursuit of wealth and material possessions through contemporary forms of consumerism has detrimental impacts on the environment, through the depletion of natural resources and pollution of the planet, and on individuals, through the prioritization of materialistic values that lead to lower levels of well-being. Few approaches to alleviating these impacts target both environment and individual well-being; however, one that is gaining traction globally is the adoption of low-consumption lifestyles. Low-consumption lifestyles are those that deliberately reduce material consumption. Besides the obvious benefits for the environment, research is emerging that low-consumption lifestyles and sustainable behaviors provide an increased sense of personal well-being. Given that marketing around the impact of an individual’s actions on the environment has made little meaningful difference to the planet, perhaps it is time to focus on the immediate benefits to the individuals themselves.
This chapter aims to provide the reader with an understanding of the potential well-being benefits of low-consumption lifestyles. It includes a brief definition of well-being through the lens of positive psychology, before providing research relating to well-being and low-consumption lifestyles like voluntary simplicity, minimalism, thrift, and proecological behaviors. A number of explanations for the possible link between well-being and low-consumption lifestyles are provided. Ultimately, this chapter should encourage the reader to examine their consumption and consider how they might reduce this consumption not only for the sake of the planet, but also for their own well-being.
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Lloyd, K. (2022). Low-Consumption Lifestyles and Well-Being. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38948-2_96-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38948-2_96-1
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