PhDs.io — Knowledge that Transforms

Conceptualizing Consumer Body Awareness

Tatsiana Padhaiskaya; Henri A Weijo

Journal of Consumer Research 2026 53(2), 259-280 open access

Existing research typically treats body awareness as a subset of self-awareness, which emphasizes identity and appearance at the expense of embodied sensations. This article offers a corrective by reconceptualizing consumer body awareness as a distinct, cultivated capacity, defined as the ability to notice, make sense of, and respond to exteroceptive, proprioceptive, and interoceptive sensations with the help of marketplace resources. Prior studies show that consumers are increasingly turning to the marketplace to find bodily reconnection and seek relief from the disembodied pull of digitalized, market-mediated life. Research also shows that although marketplace resources can help build body awareness, they can also distract from it. What the literature does not explain is how consumers engage with marketplace resources as their body awareness evolves. Building on an ethnographic inquiry into ultra-running, this article introduces a four-stage process of cultivating consumer body awareness: attuning, listening, connecting, and integrating. Findings show how marketplace resources both enable and obstruct body learning across these stages, ultimately recalibrating consumption choices and brand relationships.

Optimizing Animation Speed: Convex Effects on Perceived Waiting Time and Digital Customer Experience

Yu Ding; Ellie J Kyung

Journal of Consumer Research 2026 53(1), 136-161 open access

Incidental waits are an unavoidable element of the consumer experience on any digital platform. Firms typically utilize no animation or single-speed, repeated animations during these waits. How might the use of such animations and their visual qualities influence perceived waiting time? Can simple design changes by managers influence the customer experience? Although prior research suggests a linear relationship in which faster animations reduce perceived waiting time, we find a convex relationship between animation speed and time perception: moderate-speed animations minimize perceived waiting time compared to no, slow-moving, or fast-moving animations (experiments 1a–1c). We refer to this effect as the convex effect of animation speed. This effect occurs when people use animation speed to infer wait time (experiment 2a) and because moderate-speed animations draw more attention than static images or faster animations (experiment 2b). Animations that introduce dual-attention elements (experiment 3a) or atypical animations (experiment 3b) shift attention away from movement speed, attenuating this effect. Finally, this effect extends to website click-to-landing rates (experiment 4), conversion rates (experiment 5), and product evaluations during mobile shopping (experiment 6). These findings highlight the practical value of optimizing animation speed in user interface design to enhance both customer experience and business outcomes.

How Can Questions Encourage Engagement with Retirement Planning? A Good Question

Ann Kronrod

Journal of Consumer Research 2026

We spend nearly a third of our lives in retirement, sometimes as long as the time we work and save for it. Yet, despite the severe personal, economic, and national consequences of under-funded retirement accounts, people often procrastinate and avoid retirement planning. Current efforts to encourage planning achieve limited success, partly because individuals do not think about retirement, often until it is too late. Addressing this challenge, we explore how language can influence retirement planning behaviors by encouraging more concrete thinking about the topic. Drawing on psycholinguistic research suggesting that questions encourage concrete thinking, we propose that phrasing communication as questions enhances engagement with retirement planning by eliciting more concrete thinking about retirement. Across six studies, we demonstrate the impact of questions on engagement with retirement planning. These include a text analysis of a large dataset, three field experiments with diverse populations and conditions, and two online studies confirming that questions outperform statements in retirement-related communication by promoting more concrete thinking and eliciting more engagement with the topic. Given that most retirement communication is phrased as statements, this research offers managers a low-cost solution to improve retirement planning and funding, with significant individual and national benefits.

The “Confidence” Trap: When the Likelihood Is Low, Forecasters Look Less Competent When They Refer to Their Confidence in an Outcome Rather Than Its Probability

Mauricio Palmeira; Haipeng Chen

Journal of Consumer Research 2026 53(2), 390-408

Marketers make various forecasts, including those about new products, financial instruments, sporting events, and medical procedures, to influence consumer decisions. In communicating the likelihood that a forecaster assigns to an outcome, the forecaster can refer to their confidence in the outcome (e.g., “I’m 30% confident”) or the probability of the outcome (e.g., “There is a 30% probability”). The authors propose that the choice of language (e.g., probability vs. confidence) affects the perceptions of forecasters, yielding predictable consequences on consumer decisions. Specifically, some languages (e.g., confident/sure/certain) encourage internal attributions (e.g., to a forecaster), whereas other languages (e.g., probability/likelihood/chance) encourage external attributions (e.g., to an outcome). As a result, expressions of a forecaster’s confidence (vs. outcome probability) make the forecaster look less competent, especially when the likelihood of the outcome is low. A series of studies shows the effect in various consumption scenarios. The effect is mediated by internal (vs. external) attributions, influences real betting decisions, and is mitigated when the likelihood is high and among consumers with a weaker tendency to make internal attributions (i.e., a weaker correspondence bias).

AI Companions Reduce Loneliness

Julian De Freitas; Zeliha Oğuz‐Uğuralp; Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp; Stefano Puntoni

Journal of Consumer Research 2026 52(6), 1126-1148

Chatbots are now able to engage in sophisticated conversations with consumers in the domain of relationships, providing a potential coping solution to widescale societal loneliness. Behavioral research provides little insight into whether these applications (apps) are effective at alleviating loneliness. We address this question by focusing on “artificial intelligence (AI) companions”: apps designed to provide consumers with synthetic interaction partners. Study 1 examines user reviews of AI companion apps and finds correlational evidence suggesting that these apps help alleviate loneliness. Study 2 finds that AI companions successfully alleviate loneliness on par only with interacting with another person and more than other activities such as watching YouTube videos. Moreover, consumers underestimate the degree to which AI companions improve their loneliness. Study 3 uses a longitudinal design and finds that an AI companion consistently provides momentary reductions in loneliness after use over the course of a week. Study 4 provides evidence that both the chatbots’ performance and, especially, whether it makes users feel heard, explain reductions in loneliness. Study 5 provides an additional robustness check for the loneliness-alleviating benefits of AI companions and shows that self-disclosure and distraction alone do not explain AI companions’ effectiveness.

The Color of Status: Color Saturation, Brand Heritage, and Perceived Status of Luxury Brands

Xinyue Zhou; Chunqu Xiao; Sunyee Yoon; Hong Zhu

Journal of Consumer Research 2026 52(6), 1232-1252 open access

The elevation of brand status is a crucial goal for numerous luxury brands. Building on the framework of learned color associations, the current research suggests that using less saturated colors in products enhances consumers’ perception of luxury brand status. This effect arises from consumers’ association between less saturated colors and the passage of time, leading to perceptions of the brand as having a rich continuity heritage. Because continuity heritage confers a higher status on a luxury brand, consumers subsequently perceive the brand as having elevated status. Through seven experimental and field studies, we empirically demonstrate that low (vs. high) color saturation increases a luxury brand’s perceived brand status, with perceived continuity heritage mediating this effect. However, this effect is mitigated when the brand highlights its recent (vs. old) foundation years and is even reversed when the brand positions itself as innovative. Additionally, we show that color saturation can affect consumers’ willingness to pay and product choices. This work contributes to the literature on luxury branding, brand heritage, and color while offering valuable insights for luxury brand managers on effectively enhancing their brand’s perceived status.

Search or Scroll: How Credibility versus Likability Premiums Shape Consumers’ Following Decisions

Edith Shalev; Coby Morvinski; Meyrav Shoham; Ellie J Kyung

Journal of Consumer Research 2026 53(2), 281-304 open access

Consumers’ choices of whom to follow on digital platforms shape their informational landscape. In an era in which the credibility of informational sources is critical, this research examines two key questions: (1) When do consumers prioritize communicator credibility over likability in their decisions to follow? and (2) How do multiple credibility and likability cues interact to influence these decisions? Analyzing four large datasets from popular following-enabled platforms, we find that consumers’ orientation toward content consumption—goal directed (“search”) versus experiential (“scroll”)—is key. Communicator credibility drives following on search-driven platforms (Yelp, Goodreads), whereas likability drives following on scroll-driven ones (Twitter/X, Instagram). Aggregate communicator sentiment across multiple posts serves as a cross-platform indicator of credibility and likability, and its effect on follower count differs by platform type. On scroll-driven platforms, communicators with positive aggregate sentiment benefit from a likability premium, attracting the most followers; this preference for positivity is mitigated by the presence of alternative communicator likability cues (e.g., using sociable language). On search-driven platforms, communicators with mixed aggregate sentiment benefit from a credibility premium, attracting the most followers; this preference for mixed sentiment is mitigated in the presence of alternative credibility cues (e.g., Yelp’s “Elite” badge). Implications for consumer protection and platform design are discussed.

Extremeness Aversion and Choice Set Composition: Exposure to Multiple Extreme Options Reduces Extremeness Aversion

Marissa A Sharif; Elizabeth C Webb; Sudeep Bhatia

Journal of Consumer Research 2026 53(2), 216-232

Extremeness aversion—the tendency for consumers to prefer middling options in a choice set—is an incredibly robust and well-studied phenomenon. However, it has primarily been studied in the context of two- or three-option choice sets. In six studies (Ntotal = 9,377), we suggest that consumers’ aversion to extreme options depends on the frequency of similar options in the choice set. In particular, we find that consumers are relatively more likely to choose an option that is in an extreme relative position when they are exposed to multiple extreme options, an effect not predicted by standard theories of context-dependent choice. This occurs because consumers perceive objectively extreme (vs. intermediate) options as relatively more typical of the product category. We demonstrate that this effect is robust across different types of compositions, hypothetical and incentive-compatible studies, and in a variety of decision contexts (e.g., purchasing an item vs. choosing an activity to complete). Furthermore, we identify boundary conditions, such as the type of occasion consumers are choosing for.

Beyond Neoliberalism: The Role of Community in the Responsibilization of Citizen-Consumers During the Great Recession

Andrea Prothero; Marius Claudy; Andrew Keating

Journal of Consumer Research 2026 53(1), 70-92 open access

Drawing on governmentality theory, we examine the formation of responsibilized citizen consumers during Ireland’s Great Recession (2008–2013). Through qualitative analysis of consumer interviews, media and political discourses, and macro consumer data, we advance understanding in governmentality and consumer responsibilization research by theorizing communal responsibilization as a distinct, culturally embedded process. We contrast neoliberal and communal moral frames in responsibilizing citizen consumers, and in this process of “shared responsibility,” we show how many citizen consumers faced ideological, economic, and structural barriers to acting as self-reliant subjects. We find that communal frames and myths were particularly effective in alleviating some of these tensions by fostering relational interdependencies and communal solidarity, thus enabling the moral internalization of responsibility among citizen consumers, both for themselves and others. We identify key mechanisms through which communities facilitated responsibilization and a recasting of citizen consumer subjectivities: social scaffolding, informal resource exchange, active citizenship, and communal entrepreneurship. Finally, we identify tensions and community disintegration as key barriers in the communal responsibilization process. Overall, our findings advance consumer research on responsibilization, consumption communities, and mythmaking.

The Robustness of Mental Accounting Across 21 Countries

Giulia Priolo; Federica Stablum; Martina Vacondio; Simone D’Ambrogio; Marta Caserotti; Beatrice Conte; Prisca De Roni; Hilda Du Plooy; Vivian D Grillo; Libera Y Mastromatteo; Elisa Tedaldi; Filippo Toscano; Jesús Aguilar-Armijo; Parisa Ahmadi Ghomroudi; Lucian Alexa; Mathias H Andersen; Per A Andersson; Karine Aoun Barakat; Carolina Barros; Ruggero Basanisi; Tara Beilner; Sergiu Burlacu; Thai Cao; Alessandra Carella; Arianna Chiappi; Zafer Çiftçi; Claudia Civai; Alana Daly; Valdonė Darškuvienė; Marta De Pedis; Earle J Du Plooy; Mohammed El-Mir; Christian T Elbæk; Sondos Elkot; Valeria Fanghella; Eman Farahat; Amy Greiner Fehl; Ama P Fenny; Paul A G Forbes; Gemma Garbi; André Gonçalves; Sevias Guvuriro; Ali Hajian; Steve Heinke; Austin W Howard; Sudharsana Jagatheesh Jayanand; Peiran Jiao; Gabriela M Jiga-Boy; Alejandra Jordano De Castro; Tobias Kalenscher; Austėja Kažemekaitytė; Afreen S Khalid; Kiana Kothe; Philip Krüger; Ngan Le Thi Kieu; Gintarė Leckė; Yanina Ledovaya; Mengyu Lim; Luca M Lüpken; Huong Mai Thi Xuan; Laura Mangold; Alfarisi Maulana; Maya Maze; Hajdi Moche; Zahra Moradi; Adel Moumin; Valeria Nava; Michelle J Y Neoh; Leonardo Nicolao; Hamza O K El HallaouiOueld; Sebastian Olschewski; Adobea Y Owusu; Ahmet F Ozates; Sofia Pelica; Sonja Perkovic; Ananda W M Puteri; Hagai Rabinovitch; Guilherme Ramos; Nicole Robitaille; Caroline Roux; Benjamin Scheibehenne; Martin Schoemann; Mohammad Seidisarouei; Sanjay Singh; Mustafa Z Söyük; Liza Steiner; Amira TarekAl Rai; Berto Usman; Hannah Van Alebeek; Mohammad H Vazirian; Evgeniya Vedernikova; Janet L Wijaya; Xinxin Zhu; Jichuan Zong; Leaf Van Boven; Stephan Dickert; Lorella Lotto; David J. Hardisty; Justin Pomerance; Beatriz Pereira; Kai Ruggeri; Enrico Rubaltelli

Journal of Consumer Research 2026

First introduced four decades ago, the influential concept of mental accounting—how people mentally organize, evaluate, and track financial activities—posits that consumers often defy traditional economic rationality, treating money as non-fungible across discrete mental accounts. In this research, we present the first large-scale test of the replicability and generalizability of mental accounting effects, using a sample of 5,589 participants from 21 countries. Our results demonstrate that mental accounting effects are replicable, robust, and generalizable. Hierarchical Bayesian meta-analyses revealed a 100% replication rate for all tested scenarios, while unpooled analyses showed a 90.5% replication rate (133/147 effects). Further analysis found that effects observed in higher-income countries may be weaker in lower-income countries. Multidimensional scaling suggested that mental accounting effects vary along three interpretable dimensions that reflect social context (individual vs interactive decisions), decision perspective (deciding for self vs other), and role in price determination (setting vs evaluating prices). Across a diverse population and controlling for multiple factors, we show that consumers make decisions based on mentally-formed accounts that consistently diverge from their objective financial value.

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