The influence of body image self-discrepancy on impulsive buying behavior: the moderating role of body malleability beliefs

For decades, marketers and mass media’s overemphasis on idealized figures and social networks’ distortion of aesthetic norms have led to very narrow and distorted aesthetic standards. As a result of this tendency, many people experience varying levels of body-related anxiety and form negative perceptions of their physical appearance. Drawing upon the self-discrepancy theory, two studies empirically examines the impact of body image self-discrepancy on impulsive buying behaviors and how beliefs regarding body malleability moderate these. Study 1 employed an exploratory survey (N = 158) to identify product categories most associated with impulsive buying tendencies among individuals with negative body image. The results reveal that perceived body image is significantly negatively correlated with the tendency to make impulsive purchases of low-calorie and clothing products. However, no such correlations were found in male participants across any product categories. In contrast, female participants demonstrated a significant negative correlation between body image and impulsive buying tendency across all examined product categories. Study 2 adopted an experimental design (N = 160) to investigate the causal effect of body image self-discrepancy on impulsive apparel buying and its underlying mechanism. The results reveal that body image self-discrepancy has a significant effect on impulsive urges, but not directly on impulse buying. Furthermore, individuals who believe less in bodily malleability are more susceptible to impulsive buying when confronted with body image self-discrepancy. This research contributes significantly to understanding body image discrepancy and impulsive buying, offering valuable insights for consumers, businesses, and regulatory bodies.