Effects of counterfactual thought on postpurchase consumer affect

✍ Scribed by Suzanne B. Walchli; Janet Landman

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 144 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0742-6046
• DOI: 10.1002/mar.10057

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

This study explored the effects of counterfactual thinking (CFT) on postpurchase consumer affect. CFT is the process of imagining what might have been, that is, comparing reality (what is; the facts) with alternative possibilities. In a vignette study, the presence or absence of CFT, its direction (upward or downward), and outcome valence (positive, negative, or neutral) were manipulated. The participants' tendencies toward strategic optimism and defensive pessimism were measured, and the impact of these factors on postpurchase affect was observed. As expected, results indicated that negative outcomes were associated with greater levels of spontaneous counterfactual thought, and greater affective amplification was associated with the presence of counterfactual thought. More surprising was the finding that consumer regret increased with both downward and upward counterfactual thought, indicating that both contrast and assimilation mechanisms may be operational. With respect to personality, strategic optimists were less sensitive to purchase outcomes and counterfactual thought manipulations than were other respondents. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.