Negative Emotions Will Be Welcomed: The Effect of Upward Comparison on Counterhedonic Consumption

Abstract

Upward comparisons are prevalent in life and have a significant influence on consumer psychology and subsequent behavior. Previous research examined the effects of upward comparisons on consumption behavior, mainly focusing on behavior that evokes positive emotions (e.g., donation behavior, sustainable consumption) or behavior that evokes negative emotions (e.g., impulsive consumption, compulsive consumption) and less on behavior that evokes both negative emotions and positive emotions (i.e., counterhedonic consumption). This research examined the effect of upward comparisons on counterhedonic consumption. Five studies (N = 1111) demonstrated that upward comparison (vs. non-upward comparison) leads to counterhedonic consumption, and this effect is mediated by relative deprivation (Studies 2 and 3). In addition, this research showed that the comparison targets moderate the effects of upward comparisons on counterhedonic consumption. Specifically, when the comparison target is a friend, an upward comparison (vs. non-upward comparison) leads to counterhedonic consumption. When the comparison target is a stranger, an upward comparison (vs. non-upward comparison) has no significant influence on counterhedonic consumption (Study 5). Our findings extend the research on upward comparisons, relative deprivation, and counterhedonic consumption.