Benign sells iPhone envy

People are willing to pay more for products that cause your envybut that is only when they are motivated by a positive, not malignant form of envy, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Consumer Research
"Our studies have shown that you people had achieved envious of someone who was owner of an iPhone were willing to pay 80 euros on average," write authors Niels van of Ven, Marcel Zeelenberg and Rik Pieters (Tilburg University).

Scientists made some important discoveries about the motivations that are of different types of envy. "" Note that there are two types of envy: envy not evil and malicious, "the authors explain."Envy Noncancerous exists if the advantage of the other person deserves and motivates people to achieve a good coveted or position for themselves. "More motivating such envy makes people pay a premium for products which aroused his envy envy."However, malicious envy occurs if the other person is believed to be applauded me; the other person evokes a desire for "Tire down".

In a series of experiments, the authors compared not malignant envy with his cousin malintencionado.Observaron benignamente envious people were only willing to pay more for products that they maliciously envious codiciados.Personas were more likely to pay more for products related but different.For example, people who maliciously felt envious of someone with an iPhone were more likely to pay more for a BlackBerry.

Experiments (implying potential internship as well as products such as iPhone), participants were asked to imagine the feeling of jealousy and admiration for the fellow student (non-cancerous envy condition), imagine feel jealous and begrudging (the condition of envy malicious), or only imagine actually liked the product (control condition).

"However, enterprises should use caution to not evoke the most negative form of envy that drives people away from products.""" Advertisers should make sure that celebrities who want to use in your ads really deserve their condition,"write the authors.""If it isn't, these celebrities really they could unleash malicious envy and sales of products of a competitor could even upload."