Second, the yearning and uncertainty components of hope may reduce the perceived severity of the consequences. Specifically, the yearning component of hope may encourage elaborated imagery (MacInnis and Price 1987), because consumers envision the positivity of life when the goal-congruent outcome occurs. If consumers imagine negative outcomes at all, they may imagine outcomes that are more benign or less severe. This is because the positivity associated with hope brings to mind favorable images associated with achieving a goal-congruent outcome rather than unfavorable outcomes, which makes the latter less salient and less available.