DIFFERENCES IN HAPPINESS OF CONSUMPTION TYPES IN SOCIAL SCENES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTION: THEORETICAL DEBATE AND INTEGRATION OF SYMBOLIC CONSUMPTION AND EXPERIENTIAL CONSUMPTION

In the context of consumption upgrade, happiness has become a core issue in consumer behavior research. Existing studies emphasize the positive effects of experiential consumption on happiness but overlook the value of symbolic consumption in identity construction and social recognition through symbolic transmission, and lack an examination of the dynamics of real social scenarios. This paper, based on symbolic interactionism, integrates perspectives from psychology, sociology, and marketing to compare the mechanisms by which symbolic consumption and experiential consumption affect happiness, revealing the moderating effects of social scenarios, cultural norms, and individual traits. The study finds that symbolic consumption achieves a "silent declaration of identity" through the visibility of material symbols (such as luxury goods), but its happiness is easily constrained by "vanity stigma" and cultural norms; experiential consumption relies on narrative sharing and emotional resonance, offering advantages in high-social-interaction settings, yet it is limited by individual expression capabilities and opportunities for sharing. The effects of these two types of consumption are complementary in online-offline integrated scenarios, with cultural differences (such as collectivism versus individualism) and self-construction types (independent versus dependent) further moderating their happiness output. The study calls for attention to the complexity of symbolic interactions in consumer behavior and proposes a three-dimensional integrated model of "consumption type—symbolic interaction—happiness," providing a theoretical framework for future exploration of virtual-real integration scenarios, deepening the classification of symbolic consumption, and optimizing paradigms for measuring happiness.