Discussion
The objective of this conceptual article is to introduce the concept of hope and suggest its potential relevance to product evaluation and choice. Using appraisal theories of emotion, we argue that hope is a positively valenced emotion whose intensity is a function of the extent to which a goalcongruent outcome is yearned for and appraised as uncertain but possible. We also identify tactics that can stimulate hope, and we suggest that hope moderates well-established relationships that are relevant to marketing and public policy, including the relationships between (1) involvement and attitude-formation processes, (2) outcome valence from product use and satisfaction, (3) advertised risks and choice, and (4) marketing tactics and self-regulatory behaviors. Several additional research questions relevant to evaluation and choice and other contexts warrant attention. Given space constraints, we briefly identify a few.