Please Mind the Stress: The Influence of Technostress on Mindset-Driven Sustainable Consumption in an Online Shopping Context

Though reportedly aware, the importance of sustainability is not reflected in consumers’ consumption behavior. Existing research excludes both the concept of mindset as a driver for sustainable consumption and the diminishing effect of stress on this relationship. We close this gap by examining how a growth mindset indirectly affects consumers’ sustainable purchase decisions, mediated by the preference for sustainable products, and the influence of technostress in an experimental online shopping scenario. Results based on 121 participants show a positive indirect effect of growth mindset on consumers’ sustainable product choice, mediated by their general preference for sustainable products, while technostress has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between preference for and choice of sustainable products. Our study contributes to the e-commerce and consumer psychology literature and extends research by showing how external influences disrupt the purchase decision of consumers who are usually inclined towards purchasing sustainable products under non-invasive conditions

An Avatar a Day Keeps the Stress Away: The Implementation of Avatars as Technostress Relievers on Online Shopping Websites

In contrast to stationary retail, online shopping websites are characterized by the fact that no human salesperson is available to buyers as a reference and supporting function for the purchase. With increasing technological penetration and thus online shoppers facing the challenges of technologically induced stress (technostress), it becomes crucial for e-commerce operators to reduce this impersonality of online stores to avoid negative consequences of technostress. Our study proposes the means of an avatar as a technostress reliever. We empirically assess the indirect effect of technostress on purchase intention mediated by online store quality and moderated by avatar presence on the online store website. Our 2x2-factorial between-subjects experimental study reveals a negative indirect effect of technostress on purchase intention of respondents. Further, our findings show that independently of perceived online store quality the total level of the purchase intention is higher for the presence of an avatar than for the absence of an avatar

Coping with IT! Antecedents and Consequences of Technostress in E-Commerce

Technostress represents a high risk for e-commerce operators as consumers perceiving technostress are likely to leave online stores without making a purchase. However, research on technostress mechanisms in e-commerce is scarce. Conducting an online between-subjects experiment, we aim to address these research gaps by providing insights on when technostress arises in an e-commerce context, which coping strategies consumers apply when perceiving technostress and how this affects their behavior: We empirically investigate which technology-induced stressors create technostress in an online store and how they affect purchase intention. Our moderated mediation analysis based on 160 respondents reveals a negative indirect effect of technostress on consumers’ purchasing intention, mediated by consumers’ perception of website quality, website trust, and choice of coping strategy. Thereby, we contribute to technostress, coping and e-commerce literature and extend research by presenting empirically validated technology-induced stressors together with insights into the mechanism of a transactional technostress-model in the context of e-commerce

MOCOS-associated renal syndrome in a Brown Swiss cattle.

BACKGROUND A recessive form of MOCOS-associated xanthinuria type II is described in Tyrolean grey cattle. A similar case was identified in a 5-month-old Brown Swiss calf with hoof overgrowth, rough coat, urine sediment, and pneumonia. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES To characterize the disease phenotype, to evaluate its genetic etiology, and to determine the prevalence of the deleterious allele in the Brown Swiss population. ANIMALS An affected calf, its parents, and 65 441 Swiss dairy cattle. METHODS The affected animal was clinically examined and necropsied. Microarray genotyping was used to determine the genotypes and to assess the frequency of the MOCOS allele in a Brown Swiss control cohort. RESULTS Ultrasonography revealed hyperechoic renal pyramids with multifocal distal shadowing and echogenic sediment in the urinary bladder. Necropsy revealed suppurative bronchopneumonia and urolithiasis. Histology revealed numerous nephroliths with multifocal chronic lymphohistiocytic interstitial infiltrates, fibrosis, tubular degeneration, chronic multifocal glomerulonephritis with sclerosis, and bilateral hydronephrosis. Dysplastic changes were observed in the corium of the claw and the cornea. Genetic testing identified the homozygous presence of a known MOCOS frameshift variant in the case. Both parents were heterozygous and the prevalence of carriers in genotyped Brown Swiss cattle was 1.4% (342/24337). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE The findings were consistent with the diagnosis of a recessive renal syndrome similar to xanthinuria type II described in Tyrolean grey cattle. The prevalence of the deleterious MOCOS allele is low in the Brown Swiss breed. However, mating of carriers should be avoided to prevent further losses

Is Somebody There? Anthropomorphic Website Design and Intention to Purchase from Online Stores

In contrast to stationary retail, online store websites are characterized by impersonality, due to the absence of a human sales representative. To diminish the high degree of impersonality and increase social presence, studies have proposed some means to increase social presence, such as chatbots, traffic indicators, or website avatars. Our study deals with anthropomorphization of online store websites as a further mean to diminish online store impersonality. We empirically investigate the effect of anthropomorphized website design on intention to purchase from online stores and how this relationship is mediated by attributing humanlike mental states to websites, increasing the perception that such a website is trustworthy. Moreover, we explore how this causal chain depends on website visitors’ feelings of social connection. Findings from a conditional process analysis show that anthropomorphic website design fosters purchase intention. This effect is especially prevalent for persons characterized by above-average loneliness

The Perfect Match: Nonhuman-Type Avatar-Online Store Fit and Intention to Purchase

Avatars are often used in online stores to compensate for the absence of sales agents or spokespersons. Studies show that the effectiveness of the utilization of avatars in online stores depends on characteristics of avatars and on the context in which they are deployed. Unfortunately, most studies investigating the effectiveness of online store avatars have focused only on human-type avatars. Our study extends preliminary research and investigates how perceptions of avatar fit differ between different types of nonhuman avatars in the context of different online store types and how these perceptions influence purchase intention. Results from a between-subjects experiment with 149 participants show that the evaluation of fit between nonhuman-type avatar and online store depends on the type of offering in that store. Furthermore, perception of avatar fit positively impacts online store visitors’ purchase intention, and this effect is mediated by an increased perception of online store quality

Sleep fragmentation and lucid dreaming

Lucid dreaming—the phenomenon of experiencing waking levels of self-reflection within one’s dreams—is associated with more wake-like levels of neural activation in prefrontal brain regions. In addition, alternating periods of wakefulness and sleep might increase the likelihood of experiencing a lucid dream. Here we investigate the association between sleep fragmentation and lucid dreaming, with a multi-centre study encompassing four different investigations into subjective and objective measures of sleep fragmentation, nocturnal awakenings, sleep quality and polyphasic sleep schedules. Results across these four studies provide a more nuanced picture into the purported connection between sleep fragmentation and lucid dreaming: While self-assessed numbers of awakenings, polyphasic sleep and physiologically validated wake-REM sleep transitions were associated with lucid dreaming, neither self-assessed sleep quality, nor physiologically validated numbers of awakenings were. We discuss these results, and their underlying neural mechanisms, within the general question of whether sleep fragmentation and lucid dreaming share a causal link

Virtual reality training of lucid dreaming

Metacognitive reflections on one's current state of mind are largely absent during dreaming. Lucid dreaming as the exception to this rule is a rare phenomenon; however, its occurrence can be facilitated through cognitive training. A central idea of respective training strategies is to regularly question one's phenomenal experience: is the currently experienced world real, or just a dream? Here, we tested if such lucid dreaming training can be enhanced with dream-like virtual reality (VR): over the course of four weeks, volunteers underwent lucid dreaming training in VR scenarios comprising dream-like elements, classical lucid dreaming training or no training. We found that VR-assisted training led to significantly stronger increases in lucid dreaming compared to the no-training condition. Eye signal-verified lucid dreams during polysomnography supported behavioural results. We discuss the potential mechanisms underlying these findings, in particular the role of synthetic dream-like experiences, incorporation of VR content in dream imagery serving as memory cues, and extended dissociative effects of VR session on subsequent experiences that might amplify lucid dreaming training during wakefulness