Impulsive consumption and reflexive thought: Nudging ethical consumer behavior

Abstract

The paper deals with impulsive consumption and highlights the roles that cognitive and motivational aspects of reflexive thought (namely self-control and self-image motives, respectively) play in intertemporal decisions. While self-control inhibits individuals from consuming impulsively, self-image motives can induce impulsive consumption. Based on recent neuroscientific findings about 'wanting'-'liking' dissociations, the paper presents a potential motivational mechanism underlying such impulsive consumption decisions. Utilizing the knowledge of this mechanism and acknowledging both cognitive and motivational aspects of reflexive thought, the paper expands on three libertarian paternalistic means to foster an ethical way of impulsive consumption: strengthening willpower, reducing impulsive desires to consume, and guiding impulsive behavior in ethical directions by making salient certain self-images that favor ethical consumption.

Tackling Keynes’ Question: A Look Back on 15 years of Learning to Consume

“…Through this process consumers can thereby acquire likes and dislikes that are unique to their particular learning history. Lades (2014) elaborates on how acquired wants may be linked to impulsive consumption behavior (see also Laibson 2001, Bernheim andRangel 2004).…”

“…This dynamic interaction between learning modes can result in a specialisation process through which both what consumers know and what they like becomes more refined. Some cognitive concerns that have been studied in the case studies include concerns about obesity (Ruprecht 2005, Manig 2010), environmental concerns (Bünstorf and Cordes 2008, Woersdorfer andKaus 2011) and the desire for a consistent self-image (Lades 2014).…”

Implicit measures of “wanting” and “liking” in humans

“…For instance, dissociations between "wanting" and "liking" have been assumed to play a role in food consumption, (e.g., Finlayson, King, & Blundell, 2007; but see also Havermans, 2011), impulsive economic choice (e.g., Lades, 2014), depression (e.g., Bushmann, Moeller, Konrath, & Crocker, 2012), schizophrenia (Heerey & Gold, 2007), compulsive sexual behavior (Voon et al, 2014), and autism (Kohls, Chevallier, Troiani, & Schultz, 2012). Even though IST has provided valuable new insights in drug addiction and a striking influence on the study of a broad range of behaviors, there is uncertainty regarding the operation of incentive sensitization in humans.…”

Autonomy-Enhancing Paternalism

“…Only when individuals know that decision-making biases may have an influence on their current and future behavior, can they critically reflect upon whether they are willing to let their behavior be influenced by these biases. For example, informing people about the factors that lead to impulsive choices can help the individuals to organize their lives to either generate or prevent impulsive decisions (Lades, 2014). This provision of information can be combined with offering commitment devices that critically reflecting individuals can install to constrain their future selves' behaviors, which would be considered to be an instrument of AEP (see Bryan et al, 2010).…”

“…The policy-maker can transfer the knowledge about factors that can lead to impulsive behavior, such as fatigue (Baumeister et al, 1998), cognitive load (Shiv and Fedorikhin, 1999), visceral states such as hunger and thirst (Loewenstein, 1996), and being exposed to many attractive cues (Lades, 2012). Increased awareness and understanding of these factors allow individuals to effectively modify their own decision-making contexts and thus to engage in self-nudging (see Lades, 2014). To activate System 2 and encourage deliberative decision-making policymakers can, for example, prompt individuals to make decisions well in advance (Rogers and Bazerman, 2008), provide pre-commitment mechanisms (Bryan et al, 2010), induce a higher construal level thinking rather than lower level thinking (Trope and Liberman, 2003), and make people accountable for their decisions.…”