The Hidden Emotional Needs behind Our Decisions

One of the country’s largest meat producers exhausted considerable resources researching and developing a breakthrough pork product lean enough to earn its title as the “other white meat.” Because of the product’s unique composition, this pork only needed to be cooked for 3 to 4 minutes, unlike other cuts. Sales expectations were high due to the fact that the product scored extremely well in controlled taste tests. However, once the preproduct launch testing moved from the plant to volunteers cooking the meat for themselves in their homes, the previously positive results did not hold. The research participants—“caregiver” consumers who regularly served pork to their families—reported back with negative reviews, stating that the pork was dry and bland. But self-reports indicated that almost all participants cooked the meat for 7 to 8 minutes, ignoring the explicit instructions about the shorter cooking time. This confounding behavior was poised to derail the product’s acceptance.