IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v146y2022icp57-69.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How psychological distance shapes hedonic consumption: The moderating role of the need to justify

Author

Listed:
  • Didi Alaoui, Mohamed
  • Valette-Florence, Pierre
  • Cova, Véronique

Abstract

Psychological distance is pervasive in consumers’ minds and affects their hedonic consumption patterns. However, the literature regarding the effects of psychological distance on hedonic consumption is inconsistent. Three experiments demonstrate that the need to justify is an important moderator. Experiments 1 and 2 show that when the need to justify is not salient, psychological distance negatively impacts hedonic consumption. However, when the need to justify is salient, the effect of psychological distance disappears statistically. Experiment 3 shows that when the need to justify is not salient, the effect of psychological distance on hedonic consumption is explained by two conflicting mechanisms (i.e., positive emotional intensity and the difficulty in justifying) which respectively represent the indirect negative and positive effect. Nevertheless, when the need to justify is salient, the effect of psychological distance can only be explained by the difficulty in justifying the hedonic option, resulting in an indirect positive effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Didi Alaoui, Mohamed & Valette-Florence, Pierre & Cova, Véronique, 2022. "How psychological distance shapes hedonic consumption: The moderating role of the need to justify," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 57-69.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:146:y:2022:i:c:p:57-69
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.046
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296322002831
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.046?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hannah H. Chang & Michel Tuan Pham, 2013. "Affect as a Decision-Making System of the Present," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 40(1), pages 42-63.
    2. Simonson, Itamar, 1989. "Choice Based on Reasons: The Case of Attraction and Compromise Effects," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 16(2), pages 158-174, September.
    3. Mohamed Didi Alaoui & Veronique Cova, 2021. "Psychological distance as a working tool for managers," Post-Print hal-03323690, HAL.
    4. David E. Bell, 1982. "Regret in Decision Making under Uncertainty," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 30(5), pages 961-981, October.
    5. Hakkyun Kim & Kiwan Park & Norbert Schwarz, 2010. "Will This Trip Really Be Exciting? The Role of Incidental Emotions in Product Evaluation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(6), pages 983-991, April.
    6. Hoch, Stephen J & Loewenstein, George F, 1991. "Time-Inconsistent Preferences and Consumer Self-Control," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 17(4), pages 492-507, March.
    7. Joseph K. Goodman & Selin A. Malkoc, 2012. "Choosing Here and Now versus There and Later: The Moderating Role of Psychological Distance on Assortment Size Preferences," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(4), pages 751-768.
    8. Kevin Lane Keller, 2016. "Reflections on customer-based brand equity: perspectives, progress, and priorities," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 6(1), pages 1-16, June.
    9. Yonat Zwebner & Rom Y Schrift & Margaret C Campbell & Rebecca K Ratner, 2020. "On My Own: The Aversion to Being Observed during the Preference-Construction Stage," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 47(4), pages 475-499.
    10. Verena Huettl & Heribert Gierl, 2012. "Visual art in advertising: The effects of utilitarian vs. hedonic product positioning and price information," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 893-904, September.
    11. repec:cup:judgdm:v:11:y:2016:i:4:p:332-341 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Juliano Laran, 2010. "Choosing Your Future: Temporal Distance and the Balance between Self-Control and Indulgence," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(6), pages 1002-1015, April.
    13. Aner Sela & Jonah Berger & Wendy Liu, 2009. "Variety, Vice, and Virtue: How Assortment Size Influences Option Choice," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 35(6), pages 941-951, April.
    14. Suresh Ramanathan & Patti Williams, 2007. "Immediate and Delayed Emotional Consequences of Indulgence: The Moderating Influence of Personality Type on Mixed Emotions," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 34(2), pages 212-223, May.
    15. Pierre Dubois & Paulo Albuquerque & Olivier Allais & Céline Bonnet & Patrice Bertail & Pierre Combris & Saadi Lahlou & Natalie Rigal & Bernard Ruffieux & Pierre Chandon, 2021. "Effects of front-of-pack labels on the nutritional quality of supermarket food purchases: evidence from a large-scale randomized controlled trial," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 119-138, January.
    16. Thomas Allard & Katherine White, 2015. "Cross-Domain Effects of Guilt on Desire for Self-Improvement Products," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 42(3), pages 401-419.
    17. Walsh, Gianfranco & Shiu, Edward & Hassan, Louise M. & Michaelidou, Nina & Beatty, Sharon E., 2011. "Emotions, store-environmental cues, store-choice criteria, and marketing outcomes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(7), pages 737-744, July.
    18. Kivetz, Ran & Simonson, Itamar, 2002. "Self-Control for the Righteous: Toward a Theory of Precommitment to Indulgence," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 29(2), pages 199-217, September.
    19. Lawrence E. Williams & Randy Stein & Laura Galguera, 2014. "The Distinct Affective Consequences of Psychological Distance and Construal Level," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 40(6), pages 1123-1138.
    20. Holbrook, Morris B & Hirschman, Elizabeth C, 1982. "The Experiential Aspects of Consumption: Consumer Fantasies, Feelings, and Fun," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 9(2), pages 132-140, September.
    21. Read, Daniel & van Leeuwen, Barbara, 1998. "Predicting Hunger: The Effects of Appetite and Delay on Choice, , , ," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 189-205, November.
    22. Simonson, Itamar & Nowlis, Stephen M., 2000. "The Role of Explanations and Need for Uniqueness in Consumer Decision Making: Unconventional Choices Based on Reasons," Research Papers 1610, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    23. Xinshu Zhao & John G. Lynch & Qimei Chen, 2010. "Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation Analysis," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(2), pages 197-206, August.
    24. Shiv, Baba & Fedorikhin, Alexander, 1999. "Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 26(3), pages 278-292, December.
    25. Kumar, Archana & Lee, Hyun-Joo & Kim, Youn-Kyung, 2009. "Indian consumers' purchase intention toward a United States versus local brand," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(5), pages 521-527, May.
    26. Daniel Kahneman, 2003. "Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(5), pages 1449-1475, December.
    27. Strahilevitz, Michal & Myers, John G, 1998. "Donations to Charity as Purchase Incentives: How Well They Work May Depend on What You Are Trying to Sell," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 24(4), pages 434-446, March.
    28. Kamel Jedidi & Z. John Zhang, 2002. "Augmenting Conjoint Analysis to Estimate Consumer Reservation Price," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(10), pages 1350-1368, October.
    29. Ernest Baskin & Cheryl J. Wakslak & Yaacov Trope & Nathan Novemsky, 2014. "Why Feasibility Matters More to Gift Receivers than to Givers: A Construal-Level Approach to Gift Giving," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(1), pages 169-182.
    30. Ravi Mehta & Rui (Juliet) Zhu & Joan Meyers-Levy, 2014. "When Does a Higher Construal Level Increase or Decrease Indulgence? Resolving the Myopia versus Hyperopia Puzzle," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(2), pages 475-488.
    31. Jang, SooCheong (Shawn) & Namkung, Young, 2009. "Perceived quality, emotions, and behavioral intentions: Application of an extended Mehrabian-Russell model to restaurants," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(4), pages 451-460, April.
    32. Ran Kivetz & Anat Keinan, 2006. "Repenting Hyperopia: An Analysis of Self-Control Regrets," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 33(2), pages 273-282, July.
    33. Simonson, Itamar & Nowlis, Stephen M, 2000. "The Role of Explanations and Need for Uniqueness in Consumer Decision Making: Unconventional Choices Based on Reasons," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 27(1), pages 49-68, June.
    34. Ashraf, Abdul R. & Thongpapanl, Narongsak (Tek), 2015. "Connecting with and Converting Shoppers into Customers: Investigating the Role of Regulatory Fit in the Online Customer's Decision-making Process," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 13-25.
    35. Dilip Soman & George Ainslie & Shane Frederick & Xiuping Li & John Lynch & Page Moreau & Andrew Mitchell & Daniel Read & Alan Sawyer & Yaacov Trope & Klaus Wertenbroch & Gal Zauberman, 2005. "The Psychology of Intertemporal Discounting: Why are Distant Events Valued Differently from Proximal Ones?," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 347-360, December.
    36. Philippe Aurier & Guergana Guintcheva, 2014. "Using Affect-Expectations Theory to Explain the Direction of the Impacts of Experiential Emotions on Satisfaction," Post-Print hal-02012288, HAL.
    37. Keller, Kevin Lane, 2003. "Brand Synthesis: The Multidimensionality of Brand Knowledge," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 29(4), pages 595-600, March.
    38. Jiewen Hong & Angela Y. Lee, 2010. "Feeling Mixed but Not Torn: The Moderating Role of Construal Level in Mixed Emotions Appeals," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(3), pages 456-472, October.
    39. Juliano Laran, 2010. "Goal Management in Sequential Choices: Consumer Choices for Others Are More Indulgent than Personal Choices," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(2), pages 304-314, August.
    40. Pierre Dubois & Paulo Albuquerque & Olivier Allais & Céline Bonnet & Patrice Bertail & Pierre Combris & Saadi Lahlou & Natalie Rigal & Bernard Ruffieux & Pierre Chandon, 2020. "Effects of front-of-pack labels on the nutritional quality of supermarket food purchases: evidence from a large-scale randomized controlled trial," Post-Print hal-02562116, HAL.
    41. Jiewen Hong & Hannah H. Chang, 2015. ""I" Follow My Heart and "We" Rely on Reasons: The Impact of Self-Construal on Reliance on Feelings versus Reasons in Decision Making," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(6), pages 1392-1411.
    42. Manoj Thomas & Claire I. Tsai, 2012. "Psychological Distance and Subjective Experience: How Distancing Reduces the Feeling of Difficulty," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(2), pages 324-340.
    43. Lee, Yong-Ki & Lee, Choong-Ki & Lee, Seung-Kon & Babin, Barry J., 2008. "Festivalscapes and patrons' emotions, satisfaction, and loyalty," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 56-64, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wu, Xuepin & Ma, Yongjun, 2023. "Research on the comparison effect of urban residents' consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    2. Byun, Kyung-Ah & Hong, JungHwa & William James, Kevin, 2023. "When does a goal-appeal match affect consumer satisfaction? Examining the work and play context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chang, En-Chung & Lv, Yilin & Chou, Ting-Jui & He, Qingwen & Song, Zhuozhao, 2014. "Now or later: Delay's effects on post-consumption emotions and consumer loyalty," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(7), pages 1368-1375.
    2. Jamie L. Grigsby & Robert D. Jewell & Colin Campbell, 2021. "Have your cake and eat it too: how invoking post-purchase hyperopia mitigates impulse purchase regret," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 75-89, March.
    3. Fatima, Johra Kayeser & Di Mascio, Rita & Sharma, Piyush, 2020. "Demystifying the impact of self-indulgence and self-control on customer-employee rapport and customer happiness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    4. Petersen, Francine Espinoza & Dretsch, Heather Johnson & Komarova Loureiro, Yuliya, 2018. "Who needs a reason to indulge? Happiness following reason-based indulgent consumption," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 170-184.
    5. Liang Guo, 2022. "Testing the Role of Contextual Deliberation in the Compromise Effect," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(6), pages 4326-4355, June.
    6. Michael G. Luchs & Minu Kumar, 2017. "“Yes, but this Other One Looks Better/Works Better”: How do Consumers Respond to Trade-offs Between Sustainability and Other Valued Attributes?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 567-584, February.
    7. Jingyi Lu & Zhengyan Liu & Zhe Fang, 2016. "Hedonic products for you, utilitarian products for me," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 11(4), pages 332-341, July.
    8. Raphael Thomadsen & Robert P. Rooderkerk & On Amir & Neeraj Arora & Bryan Bollinger & Karsten Hansen & Leslie John & Wendy Liu & Aner Sela & Vishal Singh & K. Sudhir & Wendy Wood, 2018. "How Context Affects Choice," Customer Needs and Solutions, Springer;Institute for Sustainable Innovation and Growth (iSIG), vol. 5(1), pages 3-14, March.
    9. Sohn, Yong Seok & Ko, Man Ting, 2021. "The impact of planned vs. unplanned purchases on subsequent purchase decision making in sequential buying situations," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    10. Heydari, Ali & Laroche, Michel & Paulin, Michèle & Richard, Marie-Odile, 2021. "Hofstede's individual-level indulgence dimension: Scale development and validation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    11. Renaud Lunardo & Camille Saintives & Damien Chaney, 2021. "Food packaging and the color red: How negative cognitive associations influence feelings of guilt," Post-Print hal-04455590, HAL.
    12. Cheng, Yimin & Zhang, Kuangjie & Zhuang, Xuhong, 2024. "Follow your heart or your mind: The effect of consumption frequency on consumers’ reliance on feelings," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    13. Simonson, Itamar & Sela, Aner, 2009. "On the Heritability of Choice, Judgment, and "Irrationality": Genetic Effects on Prudence and Constructive Predispositions," Research Papers 2029, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    14. Christopher K. Hsee & Yuval Rottenstreich & Alois Stutzer, 2012. "Suboptimal choices and the need for experienced individual well-being in economic analysis," International Journal of Happiness and Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(1), pages 63-85.
    15. Nguyen, Hang T. & Feng, Hui, 2021. "Antecedents and financial impacts of building brand love," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 572-592.
    16. Lunardo, Renaud & Saintives, Camille & Chaney, Damien, 2021. "Food packaging and the color red: How negative cognitive associations influence feelings of guilt," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 589-600.
    17. repec:cup:judgdm:v:11:y:2016:i:4:p:332-341 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Shiv, Baba & Fedorikhin, Alexander, 2002. "Spontaneous versus Controlled Influences of Stimulus-Based Affect on Choice Behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 342-370, March.
    19. Vera Herédia-Colaço & Rita Coelho do Vale, 2018. "Seize the Day or Save the World? The Importance of Ethical Claims and Product Nature Congruity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 783-801, October.
    20. Wörfel, Philipp, 2021. "Unravelling the intellectual discourse of implicit consumer cognition: A bibliometric review," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    21. Ayadi, Nawel & Giraud, Magali & Gonzalez, Christine, 2013. "An investigation of consumers' self-control mechanisms when confronted with repeated purchase temptations: Evidence from online private sales," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 272-281.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:146:y:2022:i:c:p:57-69. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.