PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Why does explaining why a cupcake is delicious make us love it less?

2011-10-22
(Press-News.org) When consumers share their thoughts about products or experiences, their opinions can intensify, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. But it depends on whether they're talking about something sensory or practical.

"Consumers constantly share stories with others about products and services through word of mouth (WOM)," writes author Sarah G. Moore (University of Alberta). "How does sharing WOM change storytellers' feelings about their own experiences? Does sharing stories make consumers like the experience more or less than before? Moore asks.

In her experiments, Moore found that people have different reactions to explaining and sharing different types of experiences. She gives the example of a consumer who might explain that she bought some divine chocolate cupcakes for a friend's birthday—or that she loves her new USB stick because it holds all her files in one place.

People who are explaining and sharing hedonic (sensory or emotional) experiences have their emotions dampened, Moore found. "Explaining why a chocolate cupcake tasted so divine makes us love the cupcake a little less, while explaining why a movie was so horrible makes us hate the movie a little less," Moore explains. And people who share about hedonic experiences are less likely to spread word-of-mouth opinions about them in the future.

On the other hand, utilitarian (cognitive) experiences, such as using a USB stick or a cleaning product are based on functions instead of emotions; explaining helps consumers understanding the experience. "Explaining why a USB stick is so great makes us like the USB stick more, while explaining why a cleaning product is so horrible makes us dislike the cleaning product more," Moore writes. In addition, consumers who share about utilitarian experiences are more likely to spread word-of-mouth information about them in the future.

"In short, some things really are best left unsaid," writes Moore. "Although we have a natural tendency to explain the events in our lives, it is not always in our best interests to do so."

###

Sarah G. Moore. "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid: How Word of Mouth Influences the Storyteller." Journal of Consumer Research: April 2012 (published online August 15, 2011).

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Social isolation: Are lonely consumers actually loners or conformers?

2011-10-22
Despite the proliferation of social networks, many Americans feel alone and isolated. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, lonely individuals behave differently in the marketplace than people with strong social networks. "Despite the popularity of Wi-Fi technologies and social networks such as Facebook, Americans are more socially isolated than two decades ago," write authors Jing Wang (University of Iowa), Rui (Juliet) Zhu (University of British Columbia), and Baba Shiv (Stanford University). According to the authors, in 2004 almost twenty five ...

Housing, health care contribute most to rising costs of living in Washington

2011-10-22
It costs 8 percent more on average than it did two years ago for Washington residents to make ends meet, according to a new report from a University of Washington research group. A single parent with one preschooler and one school-age child living in Seattle needs an annual income of $56,904 – up 13 percent from $50,268 two years ago – to meet the family's most basic requirements, according to the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Washington State 2011 released today. A similar family living in Spokane County needs $41,750, up 8 percent from $38,562 two years ago. "Even ...

Researchers find coupling of proteins promotes glioblastoma development

2011-10-22
Two previously unassociated proteins known to be overly active in a variety of cancers bind together to ignite and sustain malignant brain tumors, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports this week in the journal Cancer Cell. This research is the first to connect FoxM1 to a molecular signaling cascade that regulates normal neural stem cells, said senior author, Suyun Huang, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in MD Anderson's Department of Neurosurgery. "When FoxM1 binds to beta-catenin, we found that it also supports ...

Sixth Circuit Court Rules Definition of "Employee" Includes Some Volunteers, Extending Title VII Discrimination Protection

2011-10-22
by: Edward Macey A recent ruling from Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals specifically confirms that the federal civil rights laws protect certain volunteers from discrimination at work. The case brought by a volunteer firefighter against the Middlefield Fire Dept. was originally thrown out before trial by the lower court. The Appeals court ruling reverses the lower court and sends the discrimination case back for trial, based on a determination that the law's protection against discrimination and harassment for "employees" includes employees who are unpaid. The ...

Why do some athletes choke under pressure?

2011-10-22
Athletes know they should just do their thing on the 18th hole, or during the penalty shootout, or when they're taking a 3-point shot in the last moments of the game. But when that shot could mean winning or losing, it's easy to choke. A new article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, looks at why paying too much attention to what you're doing can ruin performance. "We think when you're under pressure, that your attention goes inward naturally. Suddenly it means so much, you want to make sure ...

Psychologists defend the importance of general abilities

2011-10-22
"What makes a great violinist, physicist, or crossword puzzle solver? Are experts born or made? The question has intrigued psychologists since psychology was born -- and the rest of us, too, who may secretly fantasize playing duets with Yo Yo Ma or winning a Nobel Prize in science. It's no wonder Malcolm Gladwell stayed atop the bestseller lists by popularizing the "10,000-hour rule" of Florida State University psychologist K. Anders Ericsson. Using Ericsson's pioneering work -- but omitting equally prominent, contradictory, research -- Gladwell's book Outliers argued that ...

Commonly used 3-drug regimen for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis found harmful

2011-10-22
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has stopped one arm of a three arm multi-center, clinical trial studying treatments for the lung-scarring disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) for safety concerns. The trial found that people with IPF receiving a currently used triple-drug therapy consisting of prednisone, azathioprine, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) had worse outcomes than those who received placebos, or inactive substances. "These findings underscore why treatments must be evaluated in a rigorous manner," ...

Trio of studies support use of PET/CT scans as prostate cancer staging tool

2011-10-22
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Recent studies have suggested that C-11 choline positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) scans can be utilized as a staging and potentially therapeutic tool in prostate cancer. The results of three studies, released today during a meeting of the North Central Section of the American Urological Association (http://www.ncsaua.org/default.aspx), validate findings in Europe and expand the potential use of C-11 choline PET scans. One study found that C-11 choline PET/CT scans can be used as a staging tool rather than multiple x-rays, ...

Divorced Children Receive Less Financial Help From Their Parents

2011-10-22
A recent study conducted by Rice University reveals that children of divorced parents typically receive less college financial aid from their parents as compared with children of intact marriages. The study surveyed 2,400 undergraduate students and was published in SAGE Publications' June 2011 issue of its "Journal of Family Issues." The study examined whether divorced/separated and remarried parents contribute less in absolute dollars, as a proportion of their income, and as a proportion of their children's financial need, toward their children's college ...

Mayo Clinic study: PSA test valuable in predicting biopsy need, low-risk prostate cancer

2011-10-22
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The prostate-specific antigen test, commonly known as the PSA test, is valuable in predicting which men should have biopsies and which are likely to be diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer, a Mayo Clinic study has found. The findings were released today during a meeting of the North Central Section of the American Urological Association (http://www.ncsaua.org/default.aspx) in Rancho Mirage, Calif. "The decision to use the PSA test is best made by the patient, in consultation with his doctor," says R. Jeffrey Karnes, M.D. (http://www.mayoclinic.org/bio/12463493.html), ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Two scientific researchers to receive 2025 Ralph L. Sacco Scholarships for Brain Health

Researchers improve chemical reaction that underpins products from foods to fuels

Texas Tech to develop semiconductor power devices through $6 million grant

Novel genomic screening tool enables precision reverse-engineering of genetic programming in cells

Hot Schrödinger cat states created

How cells repair their power plants

Oxygen is running low in inland waters—and humans are to blame

ACP’s Best Practice Advice addresses use of cannabis, cannabinoids for chronic noncancer pain

Beyond photorespiration: A systematic approach to unlocking enhanced plant productivity

How a small number of mutations can fuel outbreaks of western equine encephalitis virus

Exposure to wildfire smoke linked with worsening mental health conditions

Research uncovers hidden spread of one of the most common hospital-associated infections

Many older adults send their doctors portal messages, but who pays?

Fine particulate matter from 2020 California wildfires and mental health–related emergency department visits

Gender inequity in institutional leadership roles in US academic medical centers

Pancreatic cells ‘remember’ epigenetic precancerous marks without genetic sequence mutations

Rare combination of ovarian tumors found in one patient

AI-driven clinical recommendations may aid physician decision making to improve quality of care

Artificial intelligence has potential to aid physician decisions during virtual urgent care

ACP and Annals of Internal Medicine present breaking scientific news at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2025

New study reveals polymers with flawed fillers boost heat transfer in plastics

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

[Press-News.org] Why does explaining why a cupcake is delicious make us love it less?