Generous paupers and stingy princes? Power and consumer spending
2010-10-19
(Press-News.org) How do people decide how much to spend on purchases for themselves versus others? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says it all depends on how powerful we feel at the moment of choice.
"We ask whether the powerful and powerless differentially value the self versus others, and whether this, in turn, translates into observable differences in their spending behavior," write authors Derek D. Rucker, David Dubois, and Adam D. Galinsky (Kellogg School at Northwestern University).
The authors conducted five experiments where they manipulated participants' states of power and then examined how much they spent on purchases for themselves or others. Power was manipulated by assigning people to the role of a boss or employee in a task, having participants recall a past time when they possessed or lacked power, or exposing them to advertisements designed to make them feel powerful or powerless.
After completing these power-related tasks, participants took place in an auction where they bid for a t-shirt and a mug. One group of participants was told to bid on the product for themselves, whereas the members of the other group were told to bid on the product to get it for a person of their choosing. "When participants were bidding to obtain the product for themselves, those who completed the high-power recall task bid $12.08 on average, whereas those who completed the low-power recall task only bid $6.49, an astonishing difference of more than 46 percent," the authors write. In fact, the opposite occurred when the participants were asked to bid on the product for someone else. The low-power people bid $10.81 on average, while the high-power participants bid $7.10.
This same pattern of results emerged across five experiments. "When participants were asked to make a purchase for themselves, the amount of money spent was consistently greater for participants assigned to the high-power condition relative to participants assigned to the low-power condition," the authors write.
Although the high-power participants spent more money on themselves, they were happier when they spent money on others, the authors found.
###
Derek D. Rucker, David Dubois, and Adam D. Galinsky. "Generous Paupers and Stingy Princes: Power Drives Consumer Spending on Self versus Others." Journal of Consumer Research. Contact JCR@bus.wisc.edu for a copy of the study. See http://ejcr.org for additional information.
Author video: http://bit.ly/cHlFxz
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2010-10-19
If sleeping on a bed of ice or eating bacon-flavored ice cream doesn't sound too appealing, consider the tale you'll have to tell about it later. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, some people can't resist a chance to collect experiences.
"Recent marketing trends suggest that many consumers are attracted to unusual and novel consumption experiences and choose vacations, leisure activities, and celebrations that are predicted to be less pleasurable and enjoyable," write authors Anat Keinan (Harvard Business School) and Ran Kivetz (Columbia Business ...
2010-10-19
People are more likely to buy unhealthy foods when they pay using credit or debit cards, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
"Two factors contribute to this intriguing effect," write authors Manoj Thomas (Cornell University), Kalpesh Kaushik Desai (State University of New York, Binghamton), and Satheeshkumar Seenivasan (State University of New York, Buffalo). "First, there is a correlation between unhealthiness and impulsiveness of food items: Unhealthy food items also tend to elicit impulsive responses. Second, cash payments are psychologically ...
2010-10-19
The structure of the university in the 21st century is changing rapidly after its evolution into a multiversity in the 20th century. But as universities are being restructured to best serve the society of tomorrow, are their curricula reflecting these changes and the development of new and possibly even unformulated new disciplines and areas of inquiry?
"No," says a consortium of educators that range from Arizona State University to University of New Delhi, India, and Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin , Germany, who have launched a website (www.curriculumreform.org), hoping ...
2010-10-19
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 – Can skin cancer be treated with light? Scientists at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine), believe so. They're exploring new ways to image cancerous lesions using LEDs that might advance a technique for treating cancer called photodynamic therapy (PDT) -- work that they will describe at the Optical Society's (OSA) 94th annual meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO) 2010 at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, N.Y., from Oct. 24-28.
In PDT, photosensitizing chemicals that absorb light are injected into a tumor, which is ...
2010-10-19
Stem cell therapies hold increasing promise as a cure for multiple diseases. But the massive potential of a healthy stem cell has a flip side, as faulty regulation of stem cells leads to a huge range of human diseases. Even before birth, mistakes made by the stem cells of the foetus are a major cause of congenital defects, and cancer is also caused by the body losing control of stem cell function. Guiding stem cells along the correct pathways and, where necessary, reversing their mistakes is the goal of everyone in this field. Now, Michael Levin (http://www.drmichaellevin.org/) ...
2010-10-19
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass.--Biologists at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that a change in membrane voltage in newly identified "instructor cells" can cause stem cells' descendants to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells. The Tufts team also found that this metastatic transformation is due to changes in serotonin transport. The discovery could aid in the prevention and treatment of diseases like cancer and vitiligo as well as birth defects.
The research is reported in the October 19, 2010, issue of Disease Models and Mechanisms. ...
2010-10-19
More South Australian homeowners are going greener and adding tangible value to their homes by adopting the latest home energy technology.
Chief Executive Officer of ZEN Home Energy Systems, Mr Richard Turner, said he
has been inundated with requests for home energy systems, as home owners play
their part for the environment, lower their energy bills and also boost the value of
their homes.
The ZEN Home Energy System is the first of its kind to offer consumers a complete
branded, fully integrated solar grid connect home energy system.
"ZEN has turned ...
2010-10-19
Does your management team have M&A experience? What preparation work must be completed and what resources will be required? For many mid-sized companies, preparing for an M&A transaction places a significant burden on staff and resources. The management team, largely focused on the day-to-day operations of the company, must now find time to lead the company through the preparation process and be available to respond to arising issues and unexpected challenges as a potential deal unfolds.
The best practice is to conduct a "readiness" assessment to determine the steps ...
2010-10-19
Families with Faith Ministries is celebrating the premiere of Family and Marriage Radio by hosting the first Families with Faith Great Book Giveaway.
All those interested should create an Our Faith Community account today at http://www.FamilieswithFaith.com and then join the Great Book Giveaway group to win a free book from one of these great authors:
Dr. Rob Rienow author of Visionary Parenting,
Amy Rienow author of Shine ,
Dr. Ron Clark author of Am I Sleeping with the Enemy,
Rev. Angel White author of A Woman of Worth,
Gary and Mona Clark authors of ...
2010-10-19
Team Fitness America announced their October Personal Trainer Of The Month. From Margate, Florida, Brian Bowen has demonstrated what it takes to be chosen as a top personal trainer of Team Fitness America from a nationwide team of personal trainers. Bowen's unique approach to clients and having been overweight at one point in his life has led him to assist many other clients with their weight loss goals. For that Bowen was chosen for the Team Fitness America Personal Trainer Of The Month Award.
Bowen, who is also running for personal trainer of the year, is an excellent ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Generous paupers and stingy princes? Power and consumer spending