Self-devaluation, in turn, triggers an implicit desire to enhance the self. Finally, the desire to enhance the self elicits increased valuation of possessions that one might acquire. In sum, we predicted that when self-focus is high, sad individuals experience an implicit devaluation of the self, which in turn triggers increased valuation of new... See more

To test the hypothesized moderating role of self-focus, we conducted a regression analysis predicting buying price with emotion condition, self-focus score (centered), and their interaction term. Results revealed an Emotion Condition × Self-Focus interaction, b = 0.16, t (27) = 2.29, p = .03, p rep = .91 (see Fig. 2a). As hypothesized, tests of... See more

that a variable can serve as both a moderator and a mediator for a single relationship. We found that self-focus plays both a moderating and a mediating role in the relationship between sadness and buying price. However, because we did not observe an effect of sadness on buying price when self-focus was low,

sadness inductions can trigger increased self-focus (Salovey, 1992; Wood, Saltzberg, & Goldsamt, 1990) and can do so even without producing the conscious experience of sadness (Silvia, Phillips, Baumgaertner, & Maschauer, 2006).

Depression, like sadness, is associated with increased self-focus (Ingram, 1990; Watkins & Teasdale, 2004) and a diminished sense of self-worth (Gotlib & Hammen, 1992; Watkins & Teasdale, 2001).

Even though sadness is negatively valenced, it leads people to increase, rather than decrease, their valuation of commodities that they might purchase (Lerner et al., 2004).

Another possible model is that sad and self-focused individuals experience reduced self-value or reduced sense of entitlement, and therefore value other things more by contrast.

According to mood-repair theories, individuals in a negative emotional state are predisposed to engage in mood-improving behaviors, such as helping other people, or potentially obtaining new commodities

By revealing that self-focus plays both a moderating and a mediating role in the relationship between sadness and spending, the findings connect James's (1890) concept of the material self to contemporary theories of emotion and decision making. Spending decisions have been addressed primarily by economic theories, but the present results highlight... See more