Anthropomorphizing makes material goods as happiness-inducing as experiences

Jacob C. Lee (), Sara Kim () and Phyllis Xue Wang ()
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Jacob C. Lee: Dongguk University
Sara Kim: The University of Hong Kong
Phyllis Xue Wang: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Marketing Letters, 2022, vol. 33, issue 1, No 7, 73 pages

Abstract: Abstract Prior research suggests that material goods (e.g., electronic gadgets) often provide less happiness than do experiences (e.g., movies). As a boundary condition, the present research proposes a theory-based yet actionable solution to overcome the happiness disadvantage of material goods. Three studies show that when material goods are anthropomorphized (i.e., imbued with humanlike characteristics), consumers gain enhanced feelings of consumption sociality and, in turn, derive a boost in happiness such that they gain as much happiness from these material goods as from experiences. With mediation and moderation approaches, we provide process evidence for these enhanced feelings of consumption sociality that are typically lacking with material purchases, which are prone to being consumed alone rather than with other people. Thus, the present research suggests that even in the absence of other people, consumers can gain greater happiness from their material goods by perceiving them as human.

Keywords: Material purchases; Experiential purchases; Anthropomorphism; Happiness; Material disadvantage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11002-021-09564-w

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