Mood and Comparative Judgment: Does Mood Influence Everything and Finally Nothing?

13 Pages Posted: 23 Apr 2008

See all articles by Cheng Qiu

Cheng Qiu

The University of Hong Kong

Catherine Yeung

National University of Singapore (NUS) - Department of Marketing

Abstract

Research indicates that mood can influence evaluation of a product when considered in isolation. However, little is known about its influence on comparisons among several alternatives. Four experiments assessed the nature of this influence. When evaluating each option individually upon encountering it, happy participants reported greater preferences for the first encountered option than unhappy participants. When withholding evaluations until having seen all options, however, happy participants reported greater preferences for the last encountered option than unhappy participants. Which comparison strategy was employed, and consequently the impact of mood on preferences, depended on the similarity of choice alternatives in terms of appearance versus descriptive features.

Keywords: Mood, Affect, Comparison, Choice, Information Processing

Suggested Citation

Qiu, Cheng and Yeung, Catherine, Mood and Comparative Judgment: Does Mood Influence Everything and Finally Nothing?. Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 34, February 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1124288

Cheng Qiu (Contact Author)

The University of Hong Kong ( email )

Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong, Pokfulam HK
China

Catherine Yeung

National University of Singapore (NUS) - Department of Marketing ( email )

Kent Ridge Crescent
Singapore 119260
Singapore

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