Exerting Self‐Control ≠ Sacrificing Pleasure

Self‐control is a prominent topic in consumer research, where it is often conceptualized as the abstinence from hedonic consumption. We examine whether this conceptualization accurately captures consumers’ experiences of self‐control conflicts/failures in light of seminal self‐control theories in economics and psychology. Rejecting that notion, we argue that self‐control failures are choices in violation of superordinate long‐term goals accompanied by anticipated regret, rather than choices of hedonic over utilitarian consumption. This conceptualization has important methodological, theoretical, and practical implications. Methodologically, it highlights the need for experimental paradigms with higher construct validity. Theoretically, it helps elucidate how self‐control is distinct from impatience and self‐regulation. Practically, it provides a rich set of implications for deducing interventions on the individual and public policy level to help consumers exert self‐control.     

Spirituality,the opiate of scholars of religion?

This review discusses Craig Martin’s approach to religious individualism and more widely the ways in which social scientists can make sense of individuals’ identities, beliefs and practice, as these seem more volatile and eclectic than ever. In particular, it is interested in the ‘critical’ study of religion developed in Capitalizing Religion. This review underscores the convergence between this book and other recent works regarding epistemological weaknesses affecting the contemporary study of religion (and in particular the ‘paradigm of spirituality’). It discusses Martin’s original contributions – in particular, a critical analysis of the ideological origins and biases underlying the categorisation of freely chosen spirituality vs. coercive religion. Finally, this review tries to further Capitalizing Religion’s argument by drawing on my own empirical work on the popularisation of meditation, yoga and kabbalah, sharing Martin’s critical approach and interest for the ways in which social structure and cultural norms affect individuals’ religious life.     

Associations between volume of alcohol consumption and social status, intelligence, and personality in a sample of young adult Danes

Relatively few studies have investigated associations between volume of alcohol consumption and psychological characteristics in normal samples. A sub-sample, comprising 363 men and 331 women between 29 and 34 years of age, was selected from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort on the basis of perinatal records. The sample was divided into four consumption categories: abstainers (including occasional drinkers), light, moderate, and risk drinkers. ANOVA and relevant contrasts were used to test the significance of differences among consumption categories. Both abstaining and risk drinking were associated with low social status family background, low education and intelligence. Abstaining was associated with low disinhibition and social recognition scores, while risk drinking was associated with high neuroticism and, in males, high disinhibition, low social recognition, and low achievement scores. Compared with light drinkers, a more "carefree" life orientation characterized male moderate drinkers, while relatively high scores on anxiety, dysthymia, and somatoform symptom scales characterized female moderate drinkers.     

Food and water intake as functions of resource consumption costs in a closed economy.

In two experiments, rats living in a closed economy were offered continuous, concurrent access to four resources: food, water, a nest, and a running wheel. Costs of consuming food and water were imposed with bar-press requirements, and the price of either one or both resources was raised. As the consumption cost increased, less was consumed in each bout of resource use. Bout frequency increased, but not sufficiently to compensate for the fall in bout size, and total intake fell. Food and water tended to be complementary resources, in that as intake of one fell with its price, intake of the other also decreased. This interaction was accounted for by the defense of the ratio of body water to lean body mass. As amount consumed decreased, increases in feed efficiency (weight gain per unit of food ingested) and the use of stored calories compensated for the reduced energy intake. There was evidence of competition between feeding and drinking at the higher costs: When both commodities were expensive, the decline in the intake of each one was greater than when only one commodity was expensive. Although the time spent nesting, running, and in unmonitored activity was adjusted when feeding or drinking took more of the rat's day, there was no particular activity that was sacrificed.     

Dietary consumption and happiness and depression among university students: A cross-national survey

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between fruit and vegetable consumption and happiness and depression among university students in a cross-national survey. Using anonymous questionnaires, data were collected from 18 522 undergraduate university students (mean age 20.9, SD = 2.4) from 29 universities in 28 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Results indicate that the amount of fruit and vegetable consumption was positively associated with happiness and inversely associated with depression. Healthier behaviour patterns of fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with higher happiness and lower depression scores among university students across 28 countries.     

移动支付对大学生冲动性消费行为的影响——来自ERP的实验证据

为寻找移动支付影响冲动性消费的电生理证据,实验采用两难选择的虚拟购物任务,通过2(支付方式)×2(产品类型)被试内实验设计,结合ERP技术比较移动支付和现金支付下的冲动消费及相关电生理指标。实验数据显示:(1)移动支付下参与者的购买意愿高于现金条件;(2)对享乐品的购买,移动支付下的购买意愿、购买率高于现金支付,而对实用品两种支付下无差异;(3)决策阶段头皮左侧发现,移动支付下享乐品的LPP波幅正于实用品,而现金支付下二者LPP波幅无差异;(4)N2波幅上存在Buy/No Buy效应。结果表明:移动支付促进了享乐品的冲动性消费,决策阶段左侧脑区的LPP波幅可作为其电生理指标,N2波幅表征买与不买。     

谁更愿意购买绿色产品？认识绿色消费者

绿色消费虽然备受关注但消费者积极性却不高,这可能和个体差异性有关。为了考察绿色消费的积极性,本研究从个体差异的视角出发,引入购买时间距离这一变量,以揭示面对绿色产品的矛盾性消费者究竟更愿现在购买还是将来,决策模式是否会存在个体差异。研究发现,时间距离调节绿色消费观与产品购买意愿的关系,而产品价值感知部分中介了该调节作用。具体来说,绿色消费者不会受到时间框定的影响,而非绿色消费者则表现出时间框定效应即更倾向于在将来而不是现在购买绿色产品;这是因为绿色消费观以自上而下的方式影响绿色消费者动机加工,使绿色产品的价值感知较为稳定,而非绿色消费者的价值感知则根据购买时间距离的不同而变化。研究结果说明在生态文明建设日益紧迫的当下培育个体绿色消费观具有重要的意义。     

Moderating role of family and friends’ factors between disocial behavior and consumption in adolescents

This study analyzes the relation between dissocial behaviors and substances consumption in adolescents, and tests the moderating role of social risk factors from family and peers in this relation. 1,239 adolescents of Secondary school, 612 boys and 627 girls, from 11-18 (M = 14.39; SD = 1.43) from state and private schools completed an adapted questionnaire from the State survey on risk activities for health in adolescents (ESTUDES) and the FRIDA questionnaire about social risk factors. We found that disocial behaviors and consumption are common and are closely related. MHMR analysis confirm the moderate role of two risk family factors (indifference family reaction against drugs consumption and a permissive and tolerant parental educative style) besides tolerant attitude towards consumption on friends and easily access to drugs. That moderation is higher for girls than for boys. The results of this work highlight the influence of family and friends’ factors between dissocial behaviors and drug consumption and contribute to the knowledge of an operational model for the development of preventing programs.     

The unit size effect of indulgent food: How eating smaller sized items signals impulsivity and makes consumers eat less

In deciding how much to eat, people are influenced by environmental cues. The unit size of food (i.e. the number of units in which a given amount of food is divided) provides such a cue. Previous research showed that given equal caloric and volumetric content, smaller units of food tend to reduce food consumption. We propose that the unit size of food impacts intake as it influences perceptions of impulsiveness and appropriateness. Our analysis is based on three experimental studies, all employing between subject designs. When consuming similar amounts of chocolates in studies 1 (n?=?118) and 2 (n?=?124), both studies show that consumption of five small units of chocolates is considered to be more impulsive, excessive and less appropriate than consuming one large unit of chocolate. Results of a third study (n?=?165) indicate that about 23% less chocolate is eaten when it is presented in small unit size vs. a large unit size and this effect is mediated by perceptions of impulsivity. All three studies suggest that perceptions of impulsivity and excess eating while eating several smaller units of food compared to one large unit might be a key factor explaining consumption effects in earlier studies on this bias.     

Neuroticism,conscientiousness and fruit consumption: Exploring mediator and moderator effects in the theory of planned behaviour

Integrating the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) with the five-factor model (FFM) of personality may provide insight into the cognitive and motivational mechanisms linking personality with health behaviour, but this issue has received very little attention regarding fruit consumption. Mediator effects of TPB concepts in the personality–fruit consumption link, as well as moderator effects of personality in the intention–fruit consumption link, were therefore investigated in the present study. Data on fruit consumption, TPB concepts and FFM dimensions were gathered among 405 respondents in face-to-face interviews using questionnaires. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the mediator and moderator effects. The direct effect of conscientiousness on fruit consumption was mediated by attitude and perceived behavioural control, while no direct effect of neuroticism on fruit consumption was found. Neuroticism moderated the intention–fruit consumption relationship with the weakest relationship for those scoring high on neuroticism. Conscientiousness did not moderate the intention–fruit consumption relationship. TPB variables are mediators in the conscientiousness–fruit consumption link. Whether fruit consumption is intentional may be dependent upon the personality dimension neuroticism. Personality dimensions may be a useful addition to the TPB and should be considered in health behaviour change interventions.