Two Essays on the Role of Anthropomorphism in Consumer Behavior

The first essay of this dissertation investigates the contradictory findings on the relationship between anthropomorphism and self-control by focusing on how everyday anthropomorphized objects, rather than the products being used for consumption, influence consumer behavior. While previous studies have shown that using anthropomorphized products may decrease consumers’ self-control, this paper examines how unrelated [to consumption] anthropomorphized objects in a consumer’s environment—such as a water bottle with a humanlike face—can evoke a sense of social presence, increasing consumers’ perceptions that they are being negatively evaluated. Drawing on mind perception theory, I propose that this fear of negative evaluation can enhance self-control. Furthermore, the paper explores how the facial expressions of anthropomorphized objects, particularly smiling (vs. sad) faces signaling approval (vs. disapproval), may reduce this effect by alleviating consumers’ feelings of being negatively evaluated. Through five studies, this research offers a novel perspective on the relationship between anthropomorphism and self-control, contributing to the literature on social influence and consumer well-being. These findings suggest that anthropomorphized objects can be strategically designed to serve as an effective tool for enhancing self-control, offering practical insights for marketers and policymakers aiming to encourage positive consumer behaviors. The second essay examines how gendered brand anthropomorphism influences consumers’ perceptions of product size. While brand anthropomorphism—imbuing brands with human-like characteristics—has been widely studied in consumer behavior, the impact of gender attribution within this context remains underexplored. Drawing on gender differences theory and the literature on consumer decision-making, the study proposes that when brands are anthropomorphized with explicit gender cues, consumers rely on gender-related stereotypes to form size judgments, perceiving brands anthropomorphized as female as smaller than brands anthropomorphized as male. The research further examines how this effect influences consumer evaluations, showing that alignment between product size and consumer usage goals enhances product favorability. Through five experimental studies and one analysis of secondary data (IRI dataset), this research contributes to the literature by demonstrating that gendered brand anthropomorphism shapes spatial judgments, expanding our understanding of factors that influence consumers’ size perceptions and decision-making. The findings also offer practical implications, suggesting that brands can leverage gendered anthropomorphism to influence consumer perceptions, particularly in contexts where size plays a crucial role in purchase decisions.