Abstract
Just as good looks bestow an unconscious "beauty premium" on people, high aesthetics bestows an unrecognized benefit on consumer goods. Specifically, choosing a product with good design affirms the consumer's sense of self. Choice of a highly aesthetic product was compared with choice of products superior on other attributes including function, brand, and hedonics to show that only aesthetics influences a consumer's personal values. In study 1 a prior self-affirming task leads to a decrease in choice share of a highly aesthetic option. Studies 2 and 3 mimic prior research on self-affirmation with, however, choice of a highly aesthetic product replacing a traditional self-affirmation manipulation. Choosing a product with good design resulted in increased openness to counter-attitudinal arguments and reduced propensity to escalate commitment toward a failing course of action. There are numerous implications of this form of self-affirmation, from public policy to retail therapy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 415-428 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of Consumer Research |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2012 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business and International Management
- Economics and Econometrics
- Marketing
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Anthropology
Cite this
Self-affirmation through the choice of highly aesthetic products. / Townsend, Claudia; Sood, Sanjay.
In: Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 39, No. 2, 08.2012, p. 415-428.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-affirmation through the choice of highly aesthetic products
AU - Townsend, Claudia
AU - Sood, Sanjay
PY - 2012/8
Y1 - 2012/8
N2 - Just as good looks bestow an unconscious "beauty premium" on people, high aesthetics bestows an unrecognized benefit on consumer goods. Specifically, choosing a product with good design affirms the consumer's sense of self. Choice of a highly aesthetic product was compared with choice of products superior on other attributes including function, brand, and hedonics to show that only aesthetics influences a consumer's personal values. In study 1 a prior self-affirming task leads to a decrease in choice share of a highly aesthetic option. Studies 2 and 3 mimic prior research on self-affirmation with, however, choice of a highly aesthetic product replacing a traditional self-affirmation manipulation. Choosing a product with good design resulted in increased openness to counter-attitudinal arguments and reduced propensity to escalate commitment toward a failing course of action. There are numerous implications of this form of self-affirmation, from public policy to retail therapy.
AB - Just as good looks bestow an unconscious "beauty premium" on people, high aesthetics bestows an unrecognized benefit on consumer goods. Specifically, choosing a product with good design affirms the consumer's sense of self. Choice of a highly aesthetic product was compared with choice of products superior on other attributes including function, brand, and hedonics to show that only aesthetics influences a consumer's personal values. In study 1 a prior self-affirming task leads to a decrease in choice share of a highly aesthetic option. Studies 2 and 3 mimic prior research on self-affirmation with, however, choice of a highly aesthetic product replacing a traditional self-affirmation manipulation. Choosing a product with good design resulted in increased openness to counter-attitudinal arguments and reduced propensity to escalate commitment toward a failing course of action. There are numerous implications of this form of self-affirmation, from public policy to retail therapy.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84864005256&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84864005256&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1086/663775
DO - 10.1086/663775
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84864005256
VL - 39
SP - 415
EP - 428
JO - Journal of Consumer Research
JF - Journal of Consumer Research
SN - 0093-5301
IS - 2
ER -