Take Home, Essay Example

The article Materialistic People are Liked Less by Peers Than ‘Experiential’ People examines the many sides of how materialism can interfere in largely negative ways in everyday social interactions. The authors state that it has been established that materialism is not in any way linked to individual relationships, and instead go a step further, examining what effect a materialistic personality can have on the overall social experience. It seems the more materialistic a person is the less popular they are with their peers as well.

With reference to the entire “take home” message presented in paragraph two, there were many valid points made to support this claim. The authors state that too often the human mistake is “believing that…material possessions will gain us status and admiration…”. It has become taboo with reality television making such a large impact recently to take a look into the unnecessary bathroom, or bedroom-sized closet of a “Real Housewife”. The women and men on those shows are constantly arguing, and there is certainly a “keeping up with the Joneses” overtone, which seems to support the article’s thesis well.

Referencing the fifth paragraph, and the authors’ suggestions on how to become less materialistic if you feel you are, I do believe this adds to the effectiveness and the relevance of the article as a whole. It directly gives an application and a solution to those who may have felt dejected, knowing inside that they were too materialistic. The suggestion to surround yourself with people that would rather have experiences than material items is wonderful, and can only be helpful in improving mental and spiritual health.

Overall, this article was very effective in proving that overly materialistic people are generally liked less than people who enjoy experiences.