When Temptations Come Alive: How Anthropomorphization Undermines Consumer Self-Control

Anthropomorphism is defined as imbuing the behavior of nonhuman agents with humanlike characteristics, motivations, intentions, or emotions (Epley, Waytz, and Cacioppo 2007). A major conclusion from the extant research on anthropomorphism is that anthropomorphizing non-human agents leads to more favorable attitudes toward those agents (Epley et al. 2008; Gong 2008). Moreover, previous consumer research has shown positive effects of anthropomorphism in consumer contexts (Delbaere, McQuarrie, and Phillips 2011); for example, consumers are less willing to replace a product when they think about it in anthropomorphic terms (Chandler and Schwarz 2010). However, what if an anthropomorphized product is one’s temptation? None of the prior research has specifically looked at consumer self-control settings, that is, situations in which the anthropomorphized object may be both desirable and at the same time detrimental with regard to consumers’ self-control goals. For instance, how would dieters respond to anthropomorphized high caloric cookies that hurt their long-term weight-loss goals?