Examples of Wants and Needs (PLUS, Key Differences)

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‘Wants’ are things that are desirable but non-essential, while ‘needs’ are the things that are necessary for survival.

Wants and needs both describe different kinds of desires. Needs are the essentials that we must have for survival, such as water, shelter, and food. Wants, on the other hand, represent things that we don’t need for survival but that we desire for various reasons, such as the latest iPhone or a new car.

Essentially, needs are crucial for living and well-being. Wants can help improve subjective satisfaction and quality of life, but you don’t *have* to have them.

Key Takeaways:

Needs are essential for survival and well-being, while wants enhance comfort and enjoyment.

Basic human needs include air, water, food, shelter, and emotional support like love and security.

Common wants include luxuries like vacations, designer clothing, and the latest tech gadgets.

In relationships, needs such as trust, communication, and respect form the foundation, while wants like shared interests and romantic gestures add extra fulfillment.

Types of Wants and Needs

Wants and needs play an important role in the theory of human motivation proposed by the humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow. According to Maslow’s framework of human motivation, there are two main types of needs:

Deficiency Needs

These are the basic needs, sometimes referred to as d-needs, that result from being deprived of something we need to survive. Examples of deficiency needs include physiological urges for food and water, as well as the need for shelter, air, clothing, sleep, and health. (Montag, Sindermann, Lester, and Davis, 2020).

Without these basic needs, our survival may be threatened. So, when we are deprived of these things, we take action to try to relieve these needs. The basic needs in Maslow’s hierarchy include physiological and safety needs.

Growth Needs

Known as b-needs, these are things that we need in order to achieve our goals, feel fulfilled, and achieve happiness. Meeting these needs can play a role in achieving self-actualization or reaching your full potential. Growth needs in Maslow’s hierarchy include love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization.

Wants are different than these basic and growth needs. Instead, they represent additional desires that can often make life better but aren’t necessary for survival. Fulfilling these wants can make your life comfortable or satisfying, but you don’t necessarily need to have them for your life or fundamental well-being.

Examples of Wants and Needs

We’re often told to ask ourselves, “Is this a need or a want?” When it comes to telling the difference, it can be helpful to look at some concrete examples. Let’s explore a list of some common wants and needs to better understand how we can think about these aspects of our daily lives.

List of Needs

Some examples of essential needs include:

Air: This is the most basic essential for humans. It provides us with oxygen necessary for respiration, which is necessary to support life.
Water: Water is crucial for hydration and maintaining the body’s basic function. For example, it is needed to regulate body temperature, aid digestion, and support all bodily functions.
Food: Food provides the nutrients and energy that we must have to survive. Fulfilling our need for food allows the body to grow, repair itself, and maintain health.
Shelter: Shelter offers safety and security by protecting us from environmental dangers like weather and predators.
Sleep: Sleep is vital for physical and mental recovery. When we sleep, the body is able to heal, and the brain processes and consolidates information.
Security: A sense of security offers peace of mind. It creates a sense of stability and protection from physical or emotional harm.
Friendship: Friendships provides social connections and emotional support. Research has shown that companionship and a sense of belonging can play a vital part in well-being.
Family: Family relationships provide love, care, and a foundation of emotional support that fosters well-being.
Intimacy: Intimacy involves close personal connections that fulfill emotional needs and create deep, meaningful relationships.
Self-respect: Self-respect involves confidence and a sense of personal worth. These are important in order to maintain a healthy self-image.
Recognition: We also gain self-esteem from being recognized and valued by others. This helps to satisfy our the need for appreciation and respect.
Personal growth: The pursuit of personal growth allows individuals to reach their potential and achieve goals so that they are able to develop a sense of accomplishment.
Creativity: Creative pursuits help fulfill the need for self-expression. Such activities can add meaning and purpose to life.

List of Wants

No matter how much it *feels* like we want these things, it’s important to remember that, no, they are not necessary for survival:

Smartphone: Having a smartphone helps us stay in touch and access many entertainment options (and a lot of time-wasting ones, too). However, you don’t actually need it to live (really!).
Designer clothing: Fancy, high-end clothes can make you feel stylish and cool, but it’s a want and not a need.
Luxury car: Having a luxury car can make your driving experience more pleasant (and eye-catching), but it’s not something you actually have to have to fulfill your transportation needs.
Vacation: Vacations can be a great way to relax and support your mental health, but it’s not something you need to function.
Streaming subscriptions: Subscribing to streaming services like Netflix or Spotify offers plenty of entertainment, but it’s purely for enjoyment.
Gourmet dining: Enjoy a delicious meal at an expensive restaurant can be a fun and delicious experience, but food doesn’t have to be expensive to keep you alive and fed.
Home decor upgrades: Redecorating or upgrading furniture can make your place look more appealing, but it doesn’t necessarily affect the quality of the shelter it provides.
Gym membership: Exercise is important to health, but you don’t have to join a gym to move your body. This one goes in the “wants” instead of the “needs” category.
Latest tech gadgets: Tech gadgets, like VR headsets and smartwatches, can be helpful and fun, but they aren’t actually essential. Think of them as things that are “nice to have” rather than things you “must have.”
Concert tickets: Yes, going to a concert can be a great time and an excellent way to enjoy the arts while spending time with your friends, but you can still enjoy the same music at home.
Coffee shop specialty drinks: Getting a latte or espresso at a coffee shop can be delicious and convenient, but you don’t *really* need them to get through your day.

Relationship Wants and Needs

We also often discuss examples of wants and needs within the context of relationships. For example, we *need* a partner who is funny and kind, and that we *want* a partner who is drop-dead gorgeous and financially well-off. It’s basically the difference between your dealbreakers and your ultimate fantasies.

In healthy relationships, both wants and needs can play an important role in how satisfied people feel. Research suggests that feeling like your partner is meeting your needs can play an important part in well-being and relationship satisfaction. (Gomez-Lopez, Viejo, & Ortega-Ruiz, 2019)

Needs in relationships include:

Trust: Creates safety and security
Communication: Allows people to understand one another and resolve conflicts
Respect: Ensures that each person feels valued
Support: Emotional and practical support allows people to navigate the challenges they face in life
Commitment: Ensures that people dedicate themselves to maintaining the relationship over the long haul

Wants in relationships include:

Shared interests: Having things in common can make a relationship more successful, but having the exact same hobbies or passions isn’t necessary for a relationship to survive.
Physical attraction: Feeling attracted to your partner can make the relationship more exciting and rewarding, but not all relationships are dependent on physical attraction.
Romance: Romantic gestures like love letters and flowers aren’t necessary, but they can help people feel happier and more fulfilled in the relationship.
Spontaneity: Having a sense of adventure can help keep the relationship fun and exciting.
Approval from friends and family: Feeling like your loved ones like your partner is something you may want, but it’s not always necessary for the relationship to continue.

Understanding Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs plays an important role in our understanding of wants versus needs. It is one of the best-known theories of human motivation.

According to Maslow, human beings are motivated by a series of increasingly complex human needs. These needs are often presented as a pyramid. At the base of the pyramid are the basic needs, the things we need to survive. As you move up the hierarchy, these needs shift toward the things that you need to grow and thrive.

The five levels of Maslow’s hierarchy are: (Taormina & Gao, 2013)

Physiological needs: These basic needs include the need for food, water, air, and sleep.
Safety needs: These basic needs include those for shelter and security.
Love and belonging: Now, we enter the levels that are focused on growth needs. This level includes the need for friendship, family, and intimacy.
Esteem needs: These growth needs include the need for self-respect and recognition.
Self-actualization needs: At the peak of the hierarchy of the ultimate growth needs, the need for creativity, personal growth, and achieving one’s full potential.

It is often suggested that you fulfill the needs at the base of the hierarchy before you can move on to those growth needs that are found at the higher levels. However, researchers have also found that you don’t necessarily have to follow the hierarchy in order. For example, people who lack some basic needs can still pursue their needs for love, esteem, and actualization. However, researchers have found that fulfilling basic needs can support the pursuit of growth needs. (Noltemeyer, et al., 2020)

QUIZ: ARE YOU SELF-ACTUALIZED?

Sources:

Gómez-López, M., Viejo, C., & Ortega-Ruiz, R. (2019). Well-being and romantic relationships: A systematic review in adolescence and emerging adulthood. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(13), 2415. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132415

Montag, C., Sindermann, C., Lester, D., & Davis, K. L. (2020). Linking individual differences in satisfaction with each of Maslow’s needs to the Big Five personality traits and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems. Heliyon, 6(7), e04325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04325

Noltemeyer, A., James, A. G., Bush, K., Bergen, D., Barrios, V., & Patton, J. (2020). The relationship between deficiency needs and growth needs: The continuing investigation of Maslow’s theory. Child & Youth Services, 42(1), 24–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2020.1818558

Taormina, R. J., & Gao, J. H. (2013). Maslow and the motivation hierarchy: measuring satisfaction of the needs. The American journal of psychology, 126(2), 155–177. https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.126.2.0155

Examples of Wants and Needs—Can You Tell the Difference?

Key Takeaways: