Luxury consumption boosts self-esteem, a defense against death anxiety.

Evidence

Although neither of them was particularly materialistic or especially fond of cars, that week made them feel like emperors rather than measly mortals. If you can afford the finer things in life, people pay attention to you. You feel special. Your self-esteem, that critical bulwark against the fear of death, rises. — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core, 447

Categorization

• XREF: Directly states the chapter’s core thesis tying wealth to death-anxiety buffering; connects to every other chapter’s claim that self-esteem is the terror-management bulwark. — connects to: The compulsion to consume everything newest replaces rational need with anxiety about falling behind; Life insurance gained legitimacy by framing itself as family care rather than death gambling — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 355
• SEED: Potential essay angle: why status goods sell — the literal death-anxiety machinery behind luxury branding, from the Cadillac to the giga-yacht.

Related

• Mortality reminders increase desire for high-status luxury goods. (similarity 0.83)
• Self-esteem is embodied, not just mental, and blunts death-anxiety (similarity 0.79)