ABSTRACT

Pet owners routinely spend money on services, accessories, and gifts for their pets. The present research investigates the affective consequences of pet spending. Specifically, we propose that spending money on pets promotes happiness. As predicted, a lab study demonstrated that pet owners who were randomly assigned to recall a time they spent money on their pet reported greater happiness than those who recalled spending money on themselves. Likewise, a field study demonstrated that pet owners who were randomly assigned to spend $5 on their pet reported greater happiness than those who were assigned to spend on themselves or another person – an effect specific to feelings of happiness rather than to mood more generally. This research offers pet owners an evidence-based strategy for boosting happiness, representing an additional intentional activity that can be used to improve well-being.

摘要

宠物主人通常会花钱购买宠物的服务、配件和礼物。本研究调查了宠物消费的情感后果。具体来说，我们建议在宠物上花钱可以促进幸福。正如预测的那样，一项实验室研究表明，被随机分配回忆他们在宠物身上花钱的时间的宠物主人比那些回忆起自己花钱的人更幸福。同样，一项实地研究表明，被随机分配在宠物身上花费 5 美元的宠物主人比被分配为自己或他人花费的宠物主人报告了更大的幸福感——这种影响特定于幸福感，而不是更普遍的情绪。这项研究为宠物主人提供了一种提高幸福感的循证策略，