Papers
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Secondary Analysis of Loot Box Data: Are High-Spending "Whales" Wealthy Gamers or Problem Gamblers? James Close, Stuart Gordon Spicer, Laura Louise Nicklin et al. 2021 Psychology Monetization Gambling Spending on lootboxes goes up with gambling problems, not with income.
pearl.plymouth.ac.uk -
Why Do Players Buy In-Game Content? An Empirical Study on Concrete Purchase Motivations Juho Hamari, Kati Alha, Simo Järvelä et al. 2017 Psychology P2W Monetization P2W does not explain how much players spend. Spending is driven by removing obstacles to play, social reasons, and getting good value for money.
trepo.tuni.fi -
The Trouble with Change: Self-Verification and Allegiance to the Self William B. Swann, Jr. 1997 Psychology Self-Esteem People want others to see them the way they see themselves, even when that self-view is negative. People with low self-esteem often choose partners and feedback that confirm it over praise, which makes changing how they see themselves hard.
labs.la.utexas.edu -
The Costly Pursuit of Self-Esteem Jennifer Crocker, Lora E. Park 2004 Psychology Self-Esteem How people chase self-esteem matters more than whether it is high or low. When people stake their self-worth on succeeding at something, every failure feels like a judgment of them as a person. That hurts learning, relationships and, over time, health.
ubwp.buffalo.edu -
The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self-Determination Theory Approach Richard M. Ryan, C. Scott Rigby, Andrew Przybylski 2006 Psychology Motivation MMO Games pull players in when they make them feel competent, free to make their own choices, and connected to others. These feelings predict enjoyment, wanting to keep playing, and a short-term boost in well-being.
rochester.edu -
Keeping up with the e-Joneses: Do Online Social Networks Raise Social Comparisons? Fabio Sabatini, Francesco Sarracino 2015 Psychology Social Media People who use social networks are less satisfied with their income. The effect is strongest for young people. The paper doesn't measure overall happiness, but the earlier work it cites ties social comparison to lower well-being.
arxiv.org -
The Local Ladder Effect: Social Status and Subjective Well-Being Cameron Anderson, Michael W. Kraus, Adam D. Galinsky et al. 2011 Psychology Status Respect within your own groups, like friends or coworkers, predicts happiness far better than income or wealth does.
escholarship.org -
Striving for Superiority: The Human Desire for Status Cameron Anderson, John Angus D. Hildreth 2016 Psychology Status People want status relative to others, not just status. They would rather rank above others, even if it means everyone ends up with less.
escholarship.org -
Young People's Perceptions of Their Parents' Expectations and Criticism Are Increasing Over Time: Implications for Perfectionism Thomas Curran, Andrew P. Hill 2022 Psychology Perfectionism Young people feel their parents expect more of them and criticize them more than in the past, and this goes along with rising perfectionism.
ray.yorksj.ac.uk -
Success Index Populace, Gallup 2019 · report Psychology Success Evidence of a disconnect between perceived success and personally defined success. People assume others measure success by status and fame, while they measure their own by education, relationships and character.
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