Brigham Young University (BYU) research suggests that marital woes that can result from financial ups and downs have as much to do with a couple’s expectations as their paychecks and credit card bills.
The first-ever study to examine the impact of materialism on marital satisfaction found that highly materialistic spouses are about 40 percent more likely than non materialistic spouses to experience high levels of financial problems, which consequently harm their marital satisfaction. What’s more, the impact of materialism held true across all income levels.
“For a highly materialistic spouse or couple, it takes less financial disturbance to trigger a financial problem”Jason Carroll, BYU assistant professor explained. “Some would say, ” I’m not living a good life and I don’t have a good marriage if we can’t afford to go on that vacation or purchase designer décor for our home,” where a less materialistic spouse would not view these limitations as a major issue.”
Using complex statistical analyses, Carroll’s research team found that materialism among one or both spouses was more predictive of the extent of a couple’s financial problems than their income. The model also connected this higher level of financial problems with lower marital satisfaction.
“This study suggests that spouses set their own threshold for what they view as a money problem” Carroll said. “If spouses are overly materialistic, their threshold will be quite low, thereby increasing the likelihood that finances will be a problem in their marriages.”
Materialism may increase financial problems in marriage in two ways:
1. A spouse may use money unwisely in chasing unreasonable materialistic expectations, therefore causing actual money problems
2. Materialistic expectations may cause a spouse to interpret a financial situation negatively, leading to more complaints and conflicts, even when another couple with similar financial resources won’t have such conflicts because of lower expectations.
Carroll gave the following four recommendations:
1. Separate needs from wants. It is often said, “Yesterday’s luxuries have become today’s necessities.” In today’s consumer culture, it is important for couples to carefully distinguish between their “needs” and their “wants” when it comes to family spending.
2. Check financial benchmarks. Many people do not see their financial expectations are too high because they compare their spending habits to others who have more. Couples who typically compare themselves to others who have more than they do frequently develop a sense of entitlement and resentment, while couples who see their situation through the eye of those who have less are more likely to foster a sense of gratitude in their lives.
3. Focus on the simple. The saying goes, “The most important things in life are not things.” While easy to say, this phrase is much harder to live. Financial strain in marriage, brought on by high materialistic expectations, often causes couples to not fully appreciate the simple aspects of their relationship that money cannot buy.
4. Lower expectations. Financial problems in marriage are as much about expectations as they are about behaviors. Lowering financial expectations can benefit marriages in two ways. First, spouses will be more willing to avoid making purchases that create debt and stress in their relationship and, second, spouses will be more inclined to interpret their current situation with more gratitude and optimism.
RelationshipTrouble.info
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007
No Comments 
Posted by RelationshipTrouble.info in Marriage 
