Retail Therapy As A Result of Jealousy

Jealousy- the green monster. This feeling often rears its head in more ways than one. A new study shows that jealousy in romantic partnerships could also be linked to shopping habits.

Researcher Xun Huang, PhD, investigated jealousy and how it motivates shoppers to make purchases in an effort to recapture their partner’s attention. Huang and her team conducted experiments to delve deeper into this topic and published their findings in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

“We believe that this effect is not just restricted to jealousy in romantic relationships. Children can be jealous of a sibling’s relationship with their parents, or workers might be jealous of a colleague’s close relationship with a supervisor,” Huang said.

The study concluded that feelings of jealousy increase the desire for eye-catching products, but this desire was eliminated when there was little chance of the products being seen in public.

Participants experiencing jealousy were more likely to buy bright colored clothing as opposed to dull colors, and opted for large logos instead of low-key designs.

Researchers also found that the longing to recapture a significant others’ attention with bold products outweighed the risk of public embarrassment and negative attention.

According to Huang, these findings could contribute to marketing. Print advertisements and television commercials that promote attention-grabbing merchandise might potentially be more effective when jealousy is a displayed as a common theme.

Image: Roderick Eime

Chamberlain Smith is a freelance writer based in Athens, Georgia.