When Temptations Come Alive: How Anthropomorphism Undermines Self-Control

Julia D. Hur, Minjung Koo and Wilhelm Hofmann

Journal of Consumer Research, 2015, vol. 42, issue 2, 340-358

Abstract: We examine how anthropomorphizing a temptation impacts consumer self-control. Six studies show that anthropomorphizing a tempting product impairs self-control not by boosting desire strength but by decreasing consumers’ experience of conflict toward consuming the product—an alarm that signals a need for self-control. As a result, consumers are less likely to initiate self-control and are more likely to indulge in the product. This process occurs because an anthropomorphized product acts as another agent in the self-control dilemma, which decreases the extent to which consumers attribute the cause of and responsibility for their consumption to themselves (i.e., internal attribution).

Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:42:y:2015:i:2:p:340-358.

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