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How Resource Scarcity Influences the Preference for Counterhedonic Consumption

Bibliographic Data

ID2237005
AuthorsHaiyang Yang (0000-0001-9017-1847, Johns Hopkins University, corresponding author), Kuangjie Zhang (0000-0002-8760-2316)
EditorsJ Jeffrey Inman (0000-0003-0410-2242), Rebecca K Ratner (0000-0001-6897-3536)
Year2022
Volume48
Issue5
Pages904-919
Publication date2022-01-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Consumer Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0093-5301 • E-ISSN: 1537-5277
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/jcr/ucab024
OpenAlexW3178512402
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited40

Eight studies show that resource scarcity can influence consumers' preference for counterhedonic consumption and that the sense of control is an underlying driver of this effect. Using a large-scale field dataset covering 82 countries over a 10-year period, study 1 showed that individuals from countries with greater resources consumed horror movies to a greater extent, but this pattern was not found for other movie genres such as romance or documentary. The remaining studies used diverse experimental approaches and counterhedonic consumption contexts (e.g., movie, novel, haunted house attraction, game) to provide causal and process evidence. Specifically, inducing perceived resource scarcity lowered participants' preference for counterhedonic consumption (studies 2A-2C). Consistent with the sense-of-control-based mechanism, experimentally lowering participants' sense of control or boosting it moderated the effect of perceived resource scarcity on their preference for counterhedonic consumption (studies 3A and 3B). The degradation of the sense of control due to perceived resource scarcity mediated the effect (studies 4 and 5). These results add to the literature on conterhedonic consumption as well as resource scarcity and have important managerial implications

Consumption (sociology) · Economics · Microeconomics · Natural resource economics · Preference · Resource (disambiguation) · Resource scarcity · Scarcity · Sociology · Computer Science · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology

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Unique citing works14
Citations per year4,67
Citation span2023 - 2026 (4)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 13
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