Gendered products act as the extended phenotype of human sexual dimorphism: They increase physical attractiveness and desirability

Borau, Sylvie; Bonnefon, Jean‐François

doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.03.007

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…This new perspective contributes to research on warmth and trust in AI (Glikson & Woolley, 2020;Kim et al, 2019;Kramer et al, 2018;Traeger et al, 2020) and, more generally, to the understanding of users' social experiences with AI (Novak & Hoffman, 2019, Puntoni et al, 2020 by identifying a new psychological mechanism that drives consumers to prefer female machines and female AI. Our research also contributes to the growing stream of literature on the efficacy of gendered marketing (Borau & Bonnefon, 2020;Pinna, 2020;van den Hende & Mugge, 2014) and the ethical dilemma of gendered AI and gendered robots (Alesich & Rigby, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 77%

The most human bot: Female gendering increases humanness perceptions of bots and acceptance of AI

Borau

Otterbring

Laporte

et al. 2021

Psychology and Marketing

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121

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Companies have repeatedly launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) products such as intelligent chatbots and robots with female names, voices, and bodies. Previous research posits that people intuitively favor female over male bots, mainly because female bots are judged as warmer and more likely to experience emotions. We present five online studies, including four preregistered, with a total sample of over 3,000 participants that go beyond this longstanding perception of femininity. Because warmth and experience (but not competence) are seen as fundamental qualities to be a full human but are lacking in machines, we argue that people prefer female bots because they are perceived as more human than male bots. Using implicit, subtle, and blatant scales of humanness, our results consistently show that women (Studies 1A and 1B), female bots (Studies 2 and 3), and female chatbots (Study 4) are perceived as more human than their male counterparts when compared with non‐human entities (animals and machines). Study 4 investigates explicitly the acceptance of gendered algorithms operated by AI chatbots in a health context. We found that the female chatbot is preferred over the male chatbot because it is perceived as more human and more likely to consider our unique needs. These results highlight the ethical quandary faced by AI designers and policymakers: Women are said to be transformed into objects in AI, but injecting women's humanity into AI objects makes these objects seem more human and acceptable.

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mentioning

confidence: 77%

The most human bot: Female gendering increases humanness perceptions of bots and acceptance of AI

Borau

Otterbring

Laporte

et al. 2021

Psychology and Marketing

Self Cite

121

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“…More specifically, green products can signal femininity (Brough et al, 2016). It has already been shown that gendered products can signal a certain level of masculinity or femininity (Borau & Bonnefon, 2019; Cunningham & Macrae, 2011; Tilburg, Lieven, Herrmann, & Townsend, 2015), just as people and brands can communicate gender (Grohmann, 2009; Neale, Robbie, & Martin, 2016). Green products can then be considered gendered products that lean towards femininity on the gender continuum.…”

Section: Conceptual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, green products signal femininity but do not signal manhood and, as such, green products could be detrimental to menʼs mating value. Thus, in addition to protecting their gender identity (Brough et al, 2016), male consumers could also be sensitive to an opportunity cost, that of increasing their mating desirability by buying the gender-typical version of a product (Borau & Bonnefon, 2019), even if this product is not eco-friendly. This could explain why heterosexual men are reluctant to buy green products that have opposite gender connotations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The green mate appeal: Men's pro‐environmental consumption is an honest signal of commitment to their partner

Borau

Elgaaïed‐Gambier

Barbarossa

2020

Psychology and Marketing

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Green consumption is associated with femininity. This green‐feminine stereotype has been accused of deterring men from buying green products to protect their gender identity. Here, we investigate whether men can benefit from this green‐feminine stereotype, beyond the status effect of green conspicuous consumption. We propose that green consumption can act as a signal of altruism and high commitment both as a partner and as a father. Based on evidence showing that these traits are sought in a long‐term partner, we predict that men can increase their value as long‐term mates by engaging in green consumption. We also investigate whether men involved in a long‐term mating relationship are indeed eco‐friendlier, testing the novel hypothesis that green consumption is an honest signal of commitment. Finally, we specify the type of commitment that is associated with men's green consumption. Across six studies, our findings suggest that green consumption is an honest signal of men's long‐term mating value and that it is a more reliable sign of partner commitment than of father commitment. We discuss how companies and governments can use these findings to increase green consumption among men.

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“…Our research contributes to several literature streams. First, our research adds to work on gendered products (Borau & Bonnefon, 2020; Schnurr, 2018) by investigating the influence of specific design effects (i.e., packaging color) on perceived masculinity. In addition, we consider how self‐reported gender moderates the effect of perceived masculinity on perceived product effectiveness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the green in green packaging backfires: Gender effects and perceived masculinity of environmentally friendly products

Felix

González

Castaño

et al. 2021

Int J Consumer Studies

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Pollution and the degradation of natural resources remain among the most pressing challenges facing our planet in the 21st century (OECD, 2020). As emphasized by White et al. (2019), the behaviors of individual consumers today have unprecedented consequences for the natural environment. It is thus not surprising that substantial efforts have been dedicated towards understanding how consumers can be motivated to purchase green rather than conventional products (Yan et al., 2020).Previous research suggests that packaging color plays a fundamental role in product judgments in general (Mead & Richerson, 2018) as well as in the purchase of environmentally friendly products (Seo & Scammon, 2017). For example, sustainable products are often designed using natural colors such as green

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Gendered products act as the extended phenotype of human sexual dimorphism: They increase physical attractiveness and desirability

Cited by 23 publications

References 64 publications

The most human bot: Female gendering increases humanness perceptions of bots and acceptance of AI

The most human bot: Female gendering increases humanness perceptions of bots and acceptance of AI

The green mate appeal: Men's pro‐environmental consumption is an honest signal of commitment to their partner

When the green in green packaging backfires: Gender effects and perceived masculinity of environmentally friendly products

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