Rose-colored glasses have many shades: Shopping decisions and emotions

February 17, 2010

By hammersmith

[Source: ScienceDaily] – A proud consumer won’t necessarily make the same purchase as a contented one, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

“Previous research shows that positive feelings produce a ‘rose-colored glasses effect,’ leading products to appear more desirable,” write authors Vladas Griskevicius (University of Minnesota), Michelle N. Shiota, and Stephen M. Nowlis (both Arizona State University). “But we find that rose-colored glasses come in different shades.”

Although positive feelings of all sorts have often been lumped together into general categories such as “happiness” or “good mood,” the researchers found that different positive emotions had drastically different effects, including making some products somewhat less appealing. Since participants in the authors’ studies were not aware that emotions were affecting their preferences, the effects were largely unconscious.

For more information: Rose-Colored Glasses Have Many Shades: Shopping Decisions and Emotions