Decoding the sustainable consumer: what yoga psychology tells us about self-control and impulsive buying?

Abstract

Purpose – The study approaches the social problem of overconsumption by examining how dispositional characteristics (Trigunas) affect self-control capacity and buying impulsiveness. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 181 Indian students was conducted to collect data on Trigunas, self-control and impulse buying tendency (IBT). Partial least squares-based structure equation modeling package ADANCO was used for data analysis. Findings – The results indicate that two out of the three gunas were related to impulsive buying tendency. As hypothesized, self-control mediated these relationships. The findings prove that Trigunas carry differential influence on self-control capacity and impulsive buying behavior of individuals. Practical implications – The results of this study offer new insights and ideas to practitioners and researchers pursuing the problem of overconsumption. This study delves into ancient Hindu knowledge of mindfulness and offers fresh psychological constructs that broaden scholarly understanding on personalityrelated drivers of overconsumption. Originality/value – Most research on overconsumption and related issues has been conducted using western personality models. Additionally, many of these findings are inconsistent. This article broadens this discussion by applying indigenous Indian psychology constructs to the study of consumer behavior and provides empirical support for the same.