For Yourself
No Bandwidth to Self-Gift: How Feeling Constrained Discourages Self-Gifting
Jacqueline Rifkin, Kelley Gullo Wight & Keisha Cutright
Journal of Consumer Research, forthcoming
Abstract:
From time, to money, to energy, many consumers are feeling more constrained than ever before. One potential solution to the pervasive feeling of constraint is self-gifting, which is the process of invoking a hedonic consumption experience with the a priori intention of boosting one’s emotional well-being. But despite being a potentially powerful tool for mood repair, are consumers effectively coping with constraint by engaging in self-gifting? And if not, what is stopping them? A correlational pilot and six studies examine the relationship between the feeling of constraint and self-gifting consumption. When consumers feel constrained, they are less (rather than more) interested in self-gifting, and this is driven by a belief that feeling constrained will hamper their ability to derive the emotional well-being benefits of self-gifting. Importantly, though, this belief is miscalibrated: Resource-constrained consumers can derive substantial well-being benefits from self-gifting, relative to those feeling less constrained. The effects generalize across several sources of constraint, do not occur for non-self-gifts, and cannot be explained by feelings of deservingness or justifiability. This research advances understanding of self-gifting, affective forecasting, and consumer decision-making, yields practical recommendations to marketers of self-gifting consumption, and has important consumer implications for people seeking to boost their well-being.
Pretty, meaningful lives: Physical attractiveness and experienced and perceived meaning in life
Christopher Sanders, Alexis Jenkins & Laura King
Journal of Positive Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
Three studies examined the association between physical attractiveness and meaning in life. Study 1 (N = 305 college students) showed that self-reported physical attractiveness positively correlated with meaning in life. Study 2 (N = 598 noncollege adults) replicated the association between self-reported physical attractiveness and meaning in life and extended those findings, demonstrating that outside perceptions of attractiveness are linked to outside perceptions of how meaningful a person’s life is. Study 3 (N = 331 targets, 97 raters) replicated these findings and probed the nuances of the relationships between outside ratings and self-reports of attractiveness and meaning in life. Across the studies, existential significance, or the feeling that one’s life matters, was the facet of meaning that primarily explained the link between attractiveness and meaning in life. In addition, a person’s view of their own attractiveness is more indicative of their well-being than outsider ratings. Implications for our understanding of meaning in life are discussed.
I’ll see your beautified photo and raise you one: An experimental investigation of the effect of edited social media photo exposure
Wendy Wolfe & Leah Yakabovits
Psychology of Popular Media, forthcoming
Abstract:
Social networking sites (SNSs) provide users with the opportunity to view photos and posts shared by celebrities and friends as well as share their own images. These unique aspects of SNSs may increase the risk of negative psychological effects of social comparisons. Upward social comparisons on SNSs are particularly likely, given the use of photo editing to create “beautified” images before posting. Although relatively new as an area of experimental investigation, there is indication that exposure to edited SNS photos harms women's body image. The findings from experimental studies on the effect of editing photos of one's self have been more inconclusive. This experimental study of 95 undergraduate women examined both the effect of exposure to edited photos of women embedded within an SNS mock-up and the subsequent effect on their photo taking and editing. The effect of photo editing on perceived physical attractiveness and mood was also assessed. Although type of SNS exposure did not affect perceived physical attractiveness, mood, or number of photos taken, participants who viewed an SNS page with edited photos were significantly more likely to edit their photos after being asked to take a selfie than participants who viewed an SNS page with unedited photos of the same women and a control group. Across conditions, photo editing was associated with adverse changes in perceived attractiveness and mood. It is recommended that future research continues to examine experimental manipulations of SNS exposure and SNS activity that more closely reflect the interactive ways that people engage with SNSs.
Viewing challenging art lends meaning to life by stimulating integrative complexity
Henrik Hagtvedt & Kathleen Vohs
Journal of Positive Psychology, November 2022, Pages 876-887
Abstract:
What is the psychological value of consuming art? Four experiments tested whether and how art can lend meaning to life. This research relies on a rudimentary distinction between low art (presenting familiar objects in a simple, straightforward manner) and high art (presenting the same familiar objects with a dose of complexity). We predicted and found that high (vs. low) art elevates the sense that life has meaning, because it stimulates integrative complexity, a cognitive process in which disparate information is combined into unified, coherent representations. These integrated thoughts pique interest, leading to the sense of life’s meaningfulness. Moreover, the results of two experiments point to the psychological benefits of viewing low (vs. high) art, namely the sense that life is happy. It seems that the relative lack of complex, integrated thoughts stimulated by low art, along with facilitated processing fluency, befits positive feelings about one’s life.
Low Income Amplifies the Negative Relationship Between Nostalgia Proneness and Well-Being
David Benjamin Newman
Applied Research in Quality of Life, December 2022, Pages 3311–3326
Abstract:
Nostalgia is a sentimental longing for the past that can influence people’s well-being. How this mixed emotion influences well-being may depend on current life circumstances. Nostalgia elicited in negative contexts could be particularly harmful to people’s well-being, whereas nostalgia elicited in positive contexts may not be as detrimental. This hypothesis was tested at the level of individual differences with a nationally representative sample of Americans (N = 6,732) who completed measures of nostalgia proneness and several indicators of well-being. Income was measured as an objective indicator of current life circumstances. Results showed that nostalgia proneness was negatively related to well-being, and income was positively related to well-being. Importantly, these relationships were moderated such that the negative relationships between nostalgia and well-being were stronger among members of low income households than among members of high income households. Consistent with the hypothesis, nostalgia proneness was particularly detrimental to well-being under objectively less desirable circumstances. These findings support an emerging body of research that contends that the effect of nostalgia on well-being depends on the context in which nostalgia is elicited.