Exploring the Relationship Between Different Consumer Behaviors and Subjective Well-Being in Japan: A Focus on Prosocial, Sustainable, Experiential, and Conspicuous Consumption

This study aimed to examine the influence of different categories of consumption consciousness and purchasing behaviors on subjective well-being (happiness and life satisfaction) using two sets of data from Japanese samples. Dataset 1 comprised data from a random sample of 1,123 Japanese aged 20 to 69 from the Tokyo metropolitan area obtained from a questionnaire survey focusing on the influence of purchasing behaviors on subjective well-being conducted by mail in 2021. Dataset 1 revealed that social experiential consumption positively influenced both happiness and life satisfaction, sustainable consumption positively influenced only happiness, and conspicuous consumption negatively influenced both happiness and life satisfaction. Dataset 2 used the open data of 5,348 Japanese aged 15 to 64 from the Tokyo metropolitan and the Kinki metropolitan areas acquired in 2022 and focused on the influence of consumption consciousness on subjective well-being. Dataset 2 revealed that consumption consciousness involving others, such as prosocial orientation, sustainable orientation, and social orientation, had positive and significant effects on happiness and life satisfaction. This study deepens our understanding of the relationship between consumer behavior and well-being in the Japanese context. It highlights the influence of consumer behaviors that are related to others, such as sustainable consumption, on enhancing the meaning people find in their lives.