This article examines the extent to which consumers engage in more indulgent
consumption when they are exposed to whimsically cute products and explores
the process by which such products affect indulgence. Prior research on kindchenschema
(baby schema) has found that exposure to cute babies or baby animals
leads to more careful behavior (see the study by Sherman, Haidt, and Coan),
suggesting restraint. The present research uncovers the opposite: consumers become
more indulgent in their behavior after exposure to whimsically cute products.
Drawing from research on cognitive priming, kindchenschema, anthropomorphization,
indulgence, and regulatory focus, this research posits that exposure to
whimsically cute products primes mental representations of fun, increasing consumers’
focus on approaching self-rewards and making consumers more likely to
choose indulgent options. These effects do not emerge for kindchenschema cute
stimuli, since they prime mental representations of vulnerability and caretaking.
Four empirical studies provide evidence for the proposed effects and their underlying
process.