지속가능 소비행태와 소비자 행복

This study explored the effects of consumers' sustainable consumption behaviors on consumer happiness. Sustainable consumer behavior means a change in consumer behavior toward minimizing resource and environmental damages across the purchase, use, and disposal of products. Based on the value of sustainable consumption behaviors proposed by Lee and Ahn (2016), we organize the characteristics of sustainable consumption behaviors into four dimensions: strong consumption control(voluntary simplification), low material needs(consumption stress reduction, collaborative consumption), and macro concerns(ethical consumption). We hypothesized that these dimensions would have a positive(+) effect on consumption happiness by increasing moral satisfaction and self-satisfaction with autonomous choice and control over consumption. Since sustainable consumption behaviors find their source of happiness in internal satisfaction, we hypothesized and verified that consumption happiness, which is derived from psychological satisfaction with individual autonomy, control, and competence, would ultimately have a positive(+) impact on life happiness. The results of the consumer survey showed that consumers who engage in sustainable consumption behaviors such as voluntary simplification and ethical consumption are more likely to have greater consumption happiness. We also found that the greater consumption happiness through sustainable consumption behaviors, the greater consumers’ life happiness. By confirming that the value pursued by sustainable consumption behavior induces consumer happiness, this study suggests that sustainable consumption behavior can be a daily lifestyle, not a temporary trend.