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Research says Explaining Why a Cupcake is Delicious can Make Us Love It Less

by Kathy Jones on Oct 24 2011 8:49 PM

Research says Explaining Why a Cupcake is Delicious can Make Us Love It Less
Individuals' thought about products or experiences can intensify when they share it with others, says a new study.
But it depends on whether they're talking about something sensory or practical.

"Consumers constantly share stories with others about products and services through word of mouth (WOM)," wrote author Sarah G. Moore (University of Alberta).

In her experiments, Moore found that people have different reactions to explaining and sharing different types of experiences.

People who are explaining and sharing hedonic (sensory or emotional) experiences have their emotions dampened, Moore found.

"Explaining why a chocolate cupcake tasted so divine makes us love the cupcake a little less, while explaining why a movie was so horrible makes us hate the movie a little less," she said.

And people who share about hedonic experiences are less likely to spread word-of-mouth opinions about them in the future.

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On the other hand, utilitarian (cognitive) experiences, such as using a USB stick or a cleaning product are based on functions instead of emotions; explaining helps consumers understanding the experience.

"Explaining why a USB stick is so great makes us like the USB stick more, while explaining why a cleaning product is so horrible makes us dislike the cleaning product more," Moore added.

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The study appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Source-ANI


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