Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
12:09
Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
Published on: March 19, 2014
The evolution of consumption and its welfare effects
Ulrich Witt1,2
1Max Planck Institute for Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
Journal of Evolutionary Economics
|April 11, 2017
Summary
Rising incomes and consumption opportunities alter motivational forces, changing preferences and consumption patterns. This evolution in consumer behavior may not always increase welfare, especially at high spending levels.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Consumer Psychology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Consumption patterns evolve with rising incomes and opportunities.
- Underlying motivational forces drive consumer preferences and actions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain the evolution of consumption based on a theory linking preferences to motivational forces.
- To analyze the welfare effects of consumption growth and transformation.
Main Methods:
- Integrates insights from biology, behavioral science, and psychology.
- Develops a theoretical framework connecting preferences, motivation, and consumption.
- Analyzes welfare implications using economic and psychological perspectives.
Main Results:
- Secular income growth alters motivational forces, leading to preference changes and transformed consumption expenditure structures.
- Consumption growth does not guarantee welfare increases, particularly when spending capacity is high.
- Measuring welfare effects is ambiguous due to preference changes and reference point dependency.
Conclusions:
- The motivations driving consumption growth may not align with welfare maximization.
- The normative basis for advocating continuous consumption growth is questioned due to welfare measurement ambiguities.
- Further research is needed on the normative foundations of consumption growth policies.
Related Concept Videos
00:48Optimal Foraging
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
02:06Social Exchange Theory
We have discussed why we form relationships, what attracts us to others, and different types of love. But what determines whether we are satisfied with and stay in a relationship? One theory that provides an explanation is social exchange theory. According to social exchange theory, we act as naïve economists in keeping a tally of the ratio of costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship with others (Rusbult & Van Lange, 2003).
01:20Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
01:23Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
01:26Social Exchange Theory
As formulated by John Thibaut and Harold Kelley, Social Exchange Theory explains human relationships as economic-like exchanges that maximize rewards and minimize costs. This theory suggests that individuals engage in relationships to gain benefits and reduce burdens, similar to economic transactions. It has been widely applied to various types of relationships, including romantic, professional, and social interactions.Rewards and Costs in RelationshipsRelationship rewards include emotional...
01:29Applications of Integration to Find Consumer Surplus
In microeconomics, consumer surplus represents the economic gain that consumers experience when they purchase a good or service for less than the highest price they are willing to pay. This surplus arises from the characteristics of the demand function, which links the quantity of a good to the price consumers are willing to pay. As the quantity of a good increases, the price that consumers are willing to pay for each additional unit typically decreases, resulting in a downward-sloping demand...