When up brings you down: The effects of imagined vertical movements on motivation, performance, and consumer behavior

Abstract

Previous embodied cognition research suggests that “up” is associated with positivity (e.g., good, divine), whereas “down” is associated with negativity (e.g., bad, evil). We focus on the effect of vertical movements on consumer behavior and go beyond investigating mere affective associations of verticality. In five studies, we provide evidence that the mental simulation of vertical movements has counterintuitive effects on behavior—that is, imagining moving up hampers motivation and performance by boosting self‐worth. A pilot study shows that the imagination of vertical movements affects self‐worth. Studies 1, 2 and 3 show that imagining upward movements (e.g., taking an elevator ride up or taking off in an airplane) diminishes motivation as well as performance. Studies 4 and 5 show that imagining moving upward (downward) makes people feel better (worse) about themselves which, in turn, decreases (increases) their motivation to succeed on a subsequent task, hence worsening (improving) performance. This occurs independently of respondents' mood.

Sensory marketing, embodiment, and grounded cognition: A review and introduction

“…Which of these diverse meanings of verticality is recruited at a given point in time is likely to depend on its relative accessibility and applicability to the task at hand, consistent with general principles of the context‐sensitive construal of meaning (for a general review, see Schwarz, 2010). Ostinelli, Luna, and Ringberg (2014‐‐in this issue) draw on the association of verticality and valence. Consistent with earlier research, they observe that imagining upward movement has positive evaluative consequences, in their case by boosting feelings of self‐worth.…”

The Influence of Physical Elevation in Buildings on Risk Preferences: Evidence from a Pilot and Four Field Studies

“…Empirically, Ostinelli et al. 's () finding that imagining upward movements makes people feel more self‐worth supports the association between elevation and power.…”

“…For example, Meier and Robinson (, ) found that people categorize positive (vs. negative) words more quickly when shown in the upper (vs. lower) part of a screen, thereby demonstrating a link between vertical positioning and affect. Ostinelli, Luna, and Ringberg () showed that imagining upward movements makes people feel more self‐worth, which undermines their motivation and worsens their performance on a subsequent task. This study suggests not only a link between verticality and power, but also a mediating role of power in the relationship between verticality and task performance.…”

Animated logos in mobile marketing communications: The roles of logo movement directions and trajectories

“…The present research aims to shed light on these issues by investigating whether consumer preference for animated logos depends on logo movement directions and trajectories, as people may associate more or less positive feelings to real life objects moving in specific directions or with specific trajectories which are likely to convey specific meanings to consumers (cf. Ostinelli, Luna, & Ringberg, 2014). To the best of the authors' knowledge, real movement directions have never been examined in relation to animated logos.…”