The Impact Of Loneliness On Herd Consumption And Its Mechanis

Conformity consumption is a common phenomenon in the field of consumption.although extensive research has been carried out on conformity consumption,the impact of emotion on conformity consumption remains to be discussed.Loneliness as an important emotional variable,the impact of consumer decision-making can not be underestimated,and has become a hot object of concern in the current research field.Loneliness is the result of the unmet basic needs such as belonging and love.Lonely individuals may show an increase in desire for goal-oriented and relationship-forming activities,and are easily influenced by the views,attitudes and values of other members of society when making consumption decisions.Accordingly,paying attention to the influence of loneliness on individual conformity consumption not only helps to explore the effect of loneliness in daily life,but also helps to deeply understand the causes of individual conformity consumption.Through four studies,this paper systematically examines the influence of loneliness on conformity consumption and its mechanism.Based on questionnaire survey,field experiment and laboratory experiment,the study mainly manipulated loneliness through recall paradigm and text paradigm,and measured conformity consumption by scale and self-designed situation.Study 1 discusses the impact of loneliness on conformity consumption,in which study 1a uses a questionnaire to analyze the relationship between loneliness and conformity consumption;study 1b through field experiments to investigate its impact on conformity consumption;study1c manipulates loneliness and consumption scenarios through laboratory experiments to further explore the impact of loneliness on conformity consumption.On the basis of study 1,study 2 introduces the potential mediating variables,fear of missing out,in order to explore the mediating mechanism of loneliness affecting conformity consumption,in which study 2a analyzes the mesomeric effect by measuring fear of missing out;study 2b further tests the mesomeric effect of loneliness on conformity consumption by manipulating fear of missing out.At the same time,this study clearly pays attention to the moderating-effect of consumer subjects and consumer object differences on the impact of loneliness on conformity consumption.Study 3,on the basis of study 2,introduces the consumer subject variable self-construction(independent self-construction vs.interdependent self-construction)to explore the moderating mechanism of loneliness through fear of missing out to influence conformity consumption,that is,through manipulating loneliness and measuring individual self-construction to test its impact on conformity consumption.Study 4introduces the consumer object variable product type(vice vs.virtue)to examine another moderating mechanism by which loneliness influences conformity consumption through fear of missing out,that is,by manipulating loneliness and product types,the moderating mechanism of loneliness affecting conformity consumption is further clarified.The results are as follows:(1)The higher the degree of loneliness,the higher the level of conformity consumption of individuals,and compared with non-lonely individuals,the level of conformity consumption of individuals with loneliness is higher.(2)The fear of missing out mediates the effect of loneliness on conformity consumption.Compared with non-lonely individuals,lonely individuals have a higher fear of missing out,and thus improve the level of conformity consumption.(3)Self-construction(independent self-construction vs.interdependent self-construction)moderated the effect of loneliness on conformity consumption through fear of missing out,compared with the independent self-constructors,the conformity consumption of interdependent self-construction individuals are more susceptible to loneliness.With the increase of the degree of loneliness,the higher the degree of fear of missing out perception of interdependent self-construction individuals,and then the higher the level of conformity consumption.(4)Product type(vice vs.virtue)moderates the effect of fear of missing out on conformity consumption,and moderated the effect of loneliness on conformity consumption through fear of missing out,that is,as the level of loneliness increased,the level of perceived fear of missing out increased,compared with the virtue,it is easier to conformity consumption under the condition of vice.From the perspective of interpersonal relationship,this study makes an in-depth analysis of the internal reasons why loneliness affects individual conformity consumption,at the same time,the moderating effect of self-construction and product type on the effect of loneliness on conformity consumption was discussed.It is beneficial to complement and improve the theoretical research in the field of loneliness and conformity consumption.At the same time,the study also found that product types affect the selectivity of loneliness to individual conformity consumption,at the practical level,it also provides a corresponding reference for enterprises to customize marketing strategies and individuals to deal with emotional threats.