Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Sweet Taste Of Uncertainty

You've just won a prize. Would you like to find out what it is right away, or wait until later? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says most people are happier waiting.

People who know they've won a prize enjoy the anticipation of wondering what they will win, especially if they have clues about what it might be, explain authors Yih Hwai Lee (National University of Singapore) and Cheng Qiu (University of Hong Kong). Prize winners spend time imagining using the potential prizes, and such "virtual consumption" prolongs positive feelings, making them receptive to marketing messages.

The authors conducted two studies where participants played and won simulated lucky-draw games. Some learned what their prizes were immediately; others were told they had won something from a pool of prizes. "We find that consumers will be more delighted after winning a lucky draw when they do not know immediately the exact prize they will receive than when they do," the authors write.

Participants who got clues about the nature of the possible prizes (such as knowing it was an electronic product) responded even more favorably. They also favored prizes that were capable of eliciting mental imagery, like sensory-stimulating products such as chocolates or aromatherapy candles. (Apparently, functional items like cutlery and digital clocks failed to stimulate.)

via ScienceDaily

2 comments:

Audacious Epigone said...

I expect those who favor the genetic explanation to homosexuality drop the opposition to potential genetic explanations for, well, just about every behavior or trait conceivable, since selection 'should have' wiped homosexuality out. Surely things like male advantages in visuospatial intelligence and female advantages in verbal intelligence, or West African advantages in sprinting, etc, in which variation via selection conceivably makes a lot more sense, will now be considered intellectually legitimate positions to hold.

Fat Knowledge said...

Works for me. But, proving genetic explanations will require more than just correlation.

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.