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The Distinct Affective Consequences of Psychological Distance and Construal Level

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  • Lawrence E. Williams
  • Randy Stein
  • Laura Galguera

Abstract

Much of the existing literature on psychological distance has focused on cognitive outcomes, such as changes in construal level, largely framing affective processes out of the discussion. The current research examines the distinct influences of psychological distance and construal level on affect-based evaluation. In a first set of experiments, psychological distance (vs. closeness) reduces the intensity of felt affect, while abstract (vs. concrete) thinking increases the positivity of one's thoughts. In a second set of experiments, psychological distance improves evaluations of negative experiences by reducing the intensity of negative affect but hurts evaluations of positive experiences by reducing the intensity of positive affect. By contrast, abstract thinking increases positivity, improving evaluations for both positive and negative experiences alike. These findings have implications for marketing communication strategy and existing theories of psychological distance.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/674212
    DOI: 10.1086/674212
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    Cited by:

    1. Junzhou Zhang & Yuping Liu-Thompkins, 2024. "Personalized email marketing in loyalty programs: The role of multidimensional construal levels," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 196-216, January.
    2. Ryan S Elder & Ann E Schlosser & Morgan Poor & Lidan Xu & Darren DahlEditor & JoAndrea HoeggAssociate Editor, 2017. "So Close I Can Almost Sense It: The Interplay between Sensory Imagery and Psychological Distance," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(4), pages 877-894.
    3. Reichert, Michael Justus & Fantapié-Altobelli, Claudia, 2016. "Country-of-origin effects in industrial goods markets: Do country-of-origin image effects differ for different buying center members?," jbm - Journal of Business Market Management, Free University Berlin, Marketing Department, vol. 9(2), pages 623-649.
    4. Ewa Siedlecka & Miriam M Capper & Thomas F Denson, 2015. "Negative Emotional Events that People Ruminate about Feel Closer in Time," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(2), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Ran Duan & Christian Bombara, 2022. "Visualizing climate change: the role of construal level, emotional valence, and visual literacy," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 170(1), pages 1-22, January.
    6. Lili Wang & Maferima Touré-Tillery & Ann L. McGill, 2023. "The effect of disease anthropomorphism on compliance with health recommendations," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 266-285, March.
    7. Florence Jeannot & Eline Jongmans & Maud Dampérat, 2022. "Visual design and online shopping experiences: When expertise allows consumers to refocus on website attractiveness," Post-Print halshs-04159592, HAL.
    8. Yao, Qi & Kuai, Ling & Wang, Cheng Lu, 2022. "How frontline employees' communication styles affect consumers' willingness to interact: The boundary condition of emotional ability similarity," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    9. Mariela E Jaffé & Rainer Greifeneder & Marc-André Reinhard, 2019. "Manipulating the odds: The effects of Machiavellianism and construal level on cheating behavior," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-22, November.
    10. Chan, Eugene Y. & Meng, Yan, 2023. "They’re vs They Are: Contractions influence product choice and judgments," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    11. Poushneh, Atieh, 2021. "How close do we feel to virtual product to make a purchase decision? Impact of perceived proximity to virtual product and temporal purchase intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    12. Jie, Yun & Li, Ye, 2022. "Chronological cues and consumers’ preference for mere newness," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 98(3), pages 527-541.
    13. Nguyen, Stephanie & Didi Alaoui, Mohamed & Llosa, Sylvie, 2020. "When interchangeability between providers and users makes a difference: The mediating role of social proximity in collaborative services," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 506-515.
    14. Jiaming Fang & Lixue Hu & Xiangqian Liu & Victor R. Prybutok, 2022. "Impact of air quality on online restaurant review comprehensiveness," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1035-1058, December.
    15. Herter, Márcia Maurer & Borges, Adilson & Pinto, Diego Costa, 2021. "Which emotions make you healthier? The effects of sadness, embarrassment, and construal level on healthy behaviors," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 147-158.
    16. Jürgen Neumann & Dominik Gutt & Dennis Kundisch, 2021. "Reviewing from a Distance: Uncovering the Negativity Bias of Psychological Distance in Online Word-of-Mouth," Working Papers Dissertations 78, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    17. 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.
    18. Meents, Selmar & Verhagen, Tibert & Merikivi, Jani & Weltevreden, Jesse, 2020. "Persuasive location-based messaging to increase store visits: An exploratory study of fashion shoppers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    19. David L. Alexander & Ashley Stadler Blank, 2018. "Besting the status quo: the effect of abstract versus concrete mindsets on emotional trade-off difficulty and avoidant coping behavior," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 351-362, September.
    20. Xiaoli Shu & Jun Peng & Guilin Wang, 2023. "Deciding Alone or with Others: Employment Anxiety and Social Distance Predict Intuitiveness in Career Decision Making," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-15, January.
    21. Yuan, Liang & Fan, Xiaoming, 2023. "As a Chinese saying goes, ‘To get rich, first pave the way’: The opening of high-speed rail and automobile consumption in China," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    22. Mariela E Jaffé & Maria Douneva, 2020. "Secretive and close? How sharing secrets may impact perceptions of distance," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, June.
    23. Septianto, Felix & Lee, Michael SW. & Putra, Pragea Geldoffy, 2021. "Everyday “low price†or everyday “value†? The interactive effects of framing and construal level on consumer purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    24. Chatterjee, Swagato & Kittur, Prathamesh & Vishwakarma, Pankaj & Dey, Anirban, 2023. "What makes customers of airport lounges satisfied and more? Impact of culture and travel class," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    25. Prashanth Ravula, 2023. "Impact of delivery performance on online review ratings: the role of temporal distance of ratings," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(2), pages 149-159, June.

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