Perils of Compensatory Consumption: Within-Domain Compensation Undermines Subsequent Self-Regulation

Prior research has shown that psychological threat can provoke consumers to desire, seek out, and acquire products that symbolize accomplishment in the domain of the threat. Although such within-domain compensation can serve as a psychological salve to repair the self, the current research suggests...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of consumer research 2015-02, Vol.41 (5), p.1186-1203
Main Authors: Lisjak, Monika, Bonezzi, Andrea, Kim, Soo, Rucker, Derek D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arithmetic
Board games
Boundary conditions
Candies
Chocolate
Compensation
Consumer behavior
Consumption
Exertion
Experiment design
Mathematical problems
Psychological aspects
Rumination
Self control
Sociability
Studies
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Summary:Prior research has shown that psychological threat can provoke consumers to desire, seek out, and acquire products that symbolize accomplishment in the domain of the threat. Although such within-domain compensation can serve as a psychological salve to repair the self, the current research suggests that sometimes this form of compensation can have ill effects. Specifically, engaging in within-domain compensation can trigger ruminative thinking about the threat. As a consequence, performance in subsequent tasks that require self-regulation is undermined. In support of this hypothesis, multiple experiments demonstrate that within-domain compensation impairs subsequent self-regulation on behaviors ranging from resisting tempting but unhealthy food to performing cognitively taxing tasks. Evidence that within-domain compensation fosters ruminative thought, as well as documentation of boundary conditions, is provided.
ISSN:0093-5301
1537-5277
DOI:10.1086/678902