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Envy or inspiration? The emotional and behavioral reactions of bystanders to peer voice endorsement

Author

Listed:
  • Wang, Longdong
  • Zhang, Zhengtang
  • Zhu, Hanqiu
  • Cui, Su

Abstract

The influence of Peer Voice Endorsement (PVE) on bystanders has attracted attention from both academia and practitioners. However, a crucial yet overlooked issue persists in understanding how its emotional nature evokes bystanders’ affective responses and subsequent outcomes. Utilizing the cognitive appraisal theory of emotions, we propose that PVE triggers two distinct cognitive appraisal processes in bystanders, leading to envy and inspiration, which exert opposing behavioral effects. Specifically, PVE evokes envy that promotes social undermining behavior, and inspiration that enhances voice behavior. Furthermore, goal interdependence between bystanders and peers moderates these emotional and behavioral effects. A multi-wave and multi-source field study and a scenario-based experiment support our model. Overall, our model explains whether, how, and when bystanders may exhibit emotional and behavioral responses to PVE, thereby expanding the application of the cognitive appraisal theory of emotions in the field of voice endorsement.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Longdong & Zhang, Zhengtang & Zhu, Hanqiu & Cui, Su, 2025. "Envy or inspiration? The emotional and behavioral reactions of bystanders to peer voice endorsement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:201:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325005582
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115735
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