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When Temptations Come Alive: How Anthropomorphism Undermines Self-Control

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  • Julia D. Hur
  • Minjung Koo
  • Wilhelm Hofmann

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).

Suggested Citation

  • Julia D. Hur & Minjung Koo & Wilhelm Hofmann, 2015. "When Temptations Come Alive: How Anthropomorphism Undermines Self-Control," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 42(2), pages 340-358.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:42:y:2015:i:2:p:340-358.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jcr/ucv017
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    Cited by:

    1. Sara Kim & Rocky Peng Chen & Ke Zhang, 2016. "Anthropomorphized Helpers Undermine Autonomy and Enjoyment in Computer Games," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 43(2), pages 282-302.
    2. Koo, Minjung & Dai, Hengchen & Mai, Ke Michael & Song, Camilla Eunyoung, 2020. "Anticipated temporal landmarks undermine motivation for continued goal pursuit," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 142-157.
    3. Malgorzata Karpinska-Krakowiak & Lukasz Skowron & Lachezar Ivanov, 2020. "“I Will Start Saving Natural Resources, Only When You Show Me the Planet as a Person in Danger”: The Effects of Message Framing and Anthropomorphism on Pro-Environmental Behaviors that are Viewed as E," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-14, July.
    4. 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.
    5. Abas Mirzaei & Cynthia M. Webster & Helen Siuki, 2021. "Exploring brand purpose dimensions for non-profit organizations," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(2), pages 186-198, March.
    6. Velasco, Franklin & Yang, Zhiyong & Janakiraman, Narayanan, 2021. "A meta-analytic investigation of consumer response to anthropomorphic appeals: The roles of product type and uncertainty avoidance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 735-746.
    7. Karanika, Katerina & Hogg, Margaret K., 2020. "Self–object relationships in consumers’ spontaneous metaphors of anthropomorphism, zoomorphism, and dehumanization," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 15-25.
    8. Kull, Alexander J. & Romero, Marisabel & Monahan, Lisa, 2021. "How may I help you? Driving brand engagement through the warmth of an initial chatbot message," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 840-850.
    9. Lane Peterson Fronczek & Martin Mende & Maura L. Scott & Gergana Y. Nenkov & Anders Gustafsson, 2023. "Friend or foe? Can anthropomorphizing self-tracking devices backfire on marketers and consumers?," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(5), pages 1075-1097, September.
    10. Han, Nah Ray & Baek, Tae Hyun & Yoon, Sukki & Kim, Yeonshin, 2019. "Is that coffee mug smiling at me? How anthropomorphism impacts the effectiveness of desirability vs. feasibility appeals in sustainability advertising," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 352-361.
    11. Xie, Yi & Chen, Ke & Guo, Xiaoling, 2020. "Online anthropomorphism and consumers’ privacy concern: Moderating roles of need for interaction and social exclusion," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    12. van Esch, Patrick & Cui, Yuanyuan (Gina) & Sledge, April & Das, Gopal & Pala, Erol, 2023. "Preference for partner or servant brand roles depends on consumers’ power distance belief," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    13. Hyun Ju Jeong & Jihye Kim, 2021. "Human-like versus me-like brands in corporate social responsibility: the effectiveness of brand anthropomorphism on social perceptions and buying pleasure of brands," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(1), pages 32-47, January.
    14. Frank D. Hodge & Kim I. Mendoza & Roshan K. Sinha, 2021. "The Effect of Humanizing Robo‐Advisors on Investor Judgments," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 770-792, March.
    15. Ketron, Seth & Naletelich, Kelly, 2019. "Victim or beggar? Anthropomorphic messengers and the savior effect in consumer sustainability behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 73-84.
    16. Maria Vernuccio & Michela Patrizi & Maja Šerić & Alberto Pastore, 2023. "The perceptual antecedents of brand anthropomorphism in the name-brand voice assistant context," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 30(4), pages 302-317, July.
    17. Karpinska-Krakowiak, Malgorzata & Eisend, Martin, 2021. "The Effects of Animistic Thinking, Animistic Cues, and Superstitions on Brand Responses on Social Media," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 104-117.
    18. Marion Garaus & Christian Garaus & Elisabeth Wolfsteiner & Charlotte Jermendy, 2022. "Anthropomorphism as a Differentiation Strategy for Standardized Reusable Glass Containers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-17, August.
    19. Liu, Fu & Wei, Haiying & Zhu, Zhenzhong & Chen, Haipeng (Allan), 2022. "Warmth or competence: Brand anthropomorphism, social exclusion, and advertisement effectiveness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    20. Huizhen Jin & Yi‐a Li & Dongjin Li & Jun Zheng, 2020. "The effects of physical activity calorie equivalent labeling on dieters' food consumption and post‐consumption physical activity," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 723-741, June.
    21. Baskentli, Sara & Hadi, Rhonda & Lee, Leonard, 2023. "How culture shapes consumer responses to anthropomorphic products," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 495-512.
    22. Justina Sidlauskiene & Yannick Joye & Vilte Auruskeviciene, 2023. "AI-based chatbots in conversational commerce and their effects on product and price perceptions," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 33(1), pages 1-21, December.
    23. Hur, Julia D. & Lee-Yoon, Alice & Whillans, Ashley V., 2021. "Are they useful? The effects of performance incentives on the prioritization of work versus personal ties," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 103-114.
    24. Markus Blut & Cheng Wang & Nancy V. Wünderlich & Christian Brock, 2021. "Understanding anthropomorphism in service provision: a meta-analysis of physical robots, chatbots, and other AI," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 632-658, July.
    25. Golossenko, Artyom & Pillai, Kishore Gopalakrishna & Aroean, Lukman, 2020. "Seeing brands as humans: Development and validation of a brand anthropomorphism scale," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 737-755.

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