Abstract

In marketing theory, hedonic pursuits are often associated with negatively perceived consumer traits such as impulsiveness, faulty self-control and guilt. Literature in psychology contradicts this line of reasoning and asserts that the capacity to experience pleasure contributes to the well-being of the individual. In order to assess what motivates consumers to engage in hedonic consumption and what the outcomes of such consumption are this thesis identifies an individual difference variable - hedonic orientation - to assess an individual's propensity to engage in hedonic consumption and develops a scale for its measurement. Using this measure consumer values related to hedonic consumption such as impulsiveness, self-control, guilt, frugality, and the Protestant work ethic are examined to elucidate their role in the hedonic orientation of individuals. Additionally, this new measure of orientation toward hedonic pursuits is used to investigate the impact of hedonic orientation on consumer outcomes such as the amount of time and money individuals' spend on hedonic consumption, as well as, life satisfaction and positive long-term health behaviors. This research results in a novel, 7-item measure of hedonic orientation which demonstrates acceptable reliability and convergent validity. Of potential use to academics for testing relationships not easily tested, the hedonic orientation measure may also be of interest to practitioners due to its success in identifying individuals prone to consume hedonically. This research also demonstrates that engaging in hedonic consumption does not necessarily indicate a lack of control or high levels of impulsiveness rather appears to be associated with greater well-being and health