Evaluating Anthropomorphized Products Less Positively: “Shame on Me!

This research documents a novel downstream consequence of shame, the negative self-conscious emotion arising from the failure to meet internalized social standards, on consumers’ lowered preferences for products that are anthropomorphized, even in domains unrelated to the original source of shame. Across five studies (total N = 1,087), this research shows that such effects emerge because shame—by its focus on hiding one’s failings and transgressions from other people—activates a general desire to avoid social contact with others. This decrease in desire for anthropomorphized products is observed more for consumers with interdependent (vs. independent) self-construal and for products consumed in private (vs. public) settings. Moreover, this research shows that only shame (but not sadness, fear, embarrassment, or guilt) has the unique motivational consequence of activating a general desire to avoid social interactions with others, which subsequently spills into other domains and reduces consumers’ evaluation of anthropomorphized products. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed. (157 words)