$240 for Illinois Avenue, please:Economic inequality increases preference for personal control appeals

Economic inequality is rising globally, yet its impact on consumer behavior remains poorly understood. In five studies, we show that economic inequality increases the preference for personal control appeals—advertising appeals encouraging consumers to reclaim their sense of agency and control. This effect emerged when economic inequality was objectively measured or experimentally manipulated. We also identify the mechanism underlying this effect by showing that higher economic inequality triggers a sense of financial threat, which reduces consumers’ sense of control. These aversive psychological states subsequently increase the preference for personal control appeals. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a momentary boost in the sense of control or a stronger dispositional belief in economic mobility effectively mitigates psychological threats of higher economic inequality, thereby attenuating the preference for personal control appeals. Overall, our findings offer a more nuanced understanding of the motivational effects of economic inequality in shaping consumer behavior

$240 for Illinois Avenue, please:Economic inequality increases preference for personal control appeals

Economic inequality is rising globally, yet its impact on consumer behavior remains poorly understood. In five studies, we show that economic inequality increases the preference for personal control appeals—advertising appeals encouraging consumers to reclaim their sense of agency and control. This effect emerged when economic inequality was objectively measured or experimentally manipulated. We also identify the mechanism underlying this effect by showing that higher economic inequality triggers a sense of financial threat, which reduces consumers’ sense of control. These aversive psychological states subsequently increase the preference for personal control appeals. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a momentary boost in the sense of control or a stronger dispositional belief in economic mobility effectively mitigates psychological threats of higher economic inequality, thereby attenuating the preference for personal control appeals. Overall, our findings offer a more nuanced understanding of the motivational effects of economic inequality in shaping consumer behavior

Situational factors shape moral judgements in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample

The study of moral judgements often centres on moral dilemmas in which options consistent with deontological perspectives (that is, emphasizing rules, individual rights and duties) are in conflict with options consistent with utilitarian judgements (that is, following the greater good based on consequences). Greene et al. (2009) showed that psychological and situational factors (for example, the intent of the agent or the presence of physical contact between the agent and the victim) can play an important role in moral dilemma judgements (for example, the trolley problem). Our knowledge is limited concerning both the universality of these effects outside the United States and the impact of culture on the situational and psychological factors affecting moral judgements. Thus, we empirically tested the universality of the effects of intent and personal force on moral dilemma judgements by replicating the experiments of Greene et al. in 45 countries from all inhabited continents. We found that personal force and its interaction with intention exert influence on moral judgements in the US and Western cultural clusters, replicating and expanding the original findings. Moreover, the personal force effect was present in all cultural clusters, suggesting it is culturally universal. The evidence for the cultural universality of the interaction effect was inconclusive in the Eastern and Southern cultural clusters (depending on exclusion criteria). We found no strong association between collectivism/individualism and moral dilemma judgements

$240 for Illinois Avenue, Please: Economic Inequality Increases Preference for Personal Control Appeals

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Self-Affirmation Reduces Delay Discounting of the Financially Deprived

A wealth of research has shown that lack of financial resources increases preference for smaller-sooner payoffs over larger-later payoffs, a tendency known as delay discounting or present bias. Delay discounting is elemental in capturing and describing a wide range of suboptimal economic behaviors among the financially deprived, ranging from less saving, to more gambling and consumption of unhealthy food. Importantly, the increased tendency to devalue larger-later benefits and payoffs can perpetuate the dire state of people who are financially deprived, making it more difficult to escape the poverty over time. It is therefore imperative, from both theoretical and practical perspectives, to identify psychological interventions that can decrease delay discounting among the financially deprived. In this project, we examine whether and how self-affirmation, inviting people to cultivate a self-view that is worthy and capable, might decrease delay discounting among the financially deprived. This is a pre-registered project, where, prior to conducting our experiment, we have specified our hypotheses, experimental design, sample size determination, data collection method, measures and manipulations, as well as intended plan for data analyses and data exclusion criteria. Details of these information can be found in our pre-registration form by clicking on the "Registrations" tab, above

Self-Affirmation Reduces Delay Discounting of the Financially Deprived

Financial deprivation is associated with excessive discounting of delayed rewards. In the present research, we argue that this counterproductive tendency may be driven, at least in part, by the aversive and self-threatening nature of experiencing financial deprivation. Accordingly, we propose that self-affirmation—an intervention known to buffer negative consequences of psychological threats—may reduce delay discounting of the financially deprived. Results of two high-powered, preregistered experiments support this proposition. Specifically, in Study 1 (n = 546), we show that among participants with relatively lower income, self-affirmation effectively reduces delay discounting. In Study 2 (n = 432), we manipulate the feeling of financial deprivation and demonstrate that self-affirmation reduces delay discounting among those who feel financially deprived. We also examine the underlying process of this effect and find that self-affirmation bolsters a sense of personal control among those who feel financially deprived, which in turn reduces their delay discounting (Study 2). Overall, our findings suggest that the relationship between financial deprivation and delay discounting is malleable and psychological interventions that attenuate self-threats and bolster a sense of personal control can be applied to reduce myopic tendencies of the poor