Summary
Emotion expression on charitable appeals may be an
important variable affecting donations. Expression is likely
to cause contagion in observers, thus influencing observers’
emotional states automatically and outside of awareness.
When a person catches sadness, his or her emotional state
converges with the victim’s negative emotional state, resulting
in greater sympathy and prosocial behavior.
However, the emotional bond may be disrupted when
examining detailed information about the victim’s plight.
This is not to say that information cannot induce sympathy
but rather that it dilutes or even overrides the impact of emotional
contagion.
The five studies presented in this article empirically test
the components of our proposed theory. Study 1 demonstrates
that the emotional expression of a victim pictured
on a charitable appeal systematically changes observers’
propensity to give. After we establish this phenomenon with
actual donations, Studies 2–5 employ psychological measures
of sympathy to elucidate the possible mechanism.
Study 2 replicates Study 1’s results with measured sympathy
and demonstrates that participants’ emotional states con-
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The Face of Need 779
verge with that of the pictured victim. Study 3 examines the
moderating role of information by controlling an informational
component in the appeals as well as a cognitive load
manipulation. It finds evidence that the sad expression
enhances sympathy when people are processing at a relatively
shallow level but not when they are analyzing other
information. Study 4 finds that the effects of sympathy are
robust when people select their own exposure to advertisements.
Finally, Study 5 reveals that only when the source of
sadness is a victim’s expression does it increase sympathy,
not when sadness is caused by an unrelated source. This
provides further support for the notion that emotional convergence
between victim and observer is critical for the process
to unfold. Together, these studies illuminate the process by
which emotion expressions embedded in advertisements
systematically influence sympathy and prosocial behavior.
SummaryEmotion expression on charitable appeals may be animportant variable affecting donations. Expression is likelyto cause contagion in observers, thus influencing observers’emotional states automatically and outside of awareness.When a person catches sadness, his or her emotional stateconverges with the victim’s negative emotional state, resultingin greater sympathy and prosocial behavior.However, the emotional bond may be disrupted whenexamining detailed information about the victim’s plight.This is not to say that information cannot induce sympathybut rather that it dilutes or even overrides the impact of emotionalcontagion.The five studies presented in this article empirically testthe components of our proposed theory. Study 1 demonstratesthat the emotional expression of a victim picturedon a charitable appeal systematically changes observers’propensity to give. After we establish this phenomenon withactual donations, Studies 2–5 employ psychological measuresof sympathy to elucidate the possible mechanism.Study 2 replicates Study 1’s results with measured sympathyand demonstrates that participants’ emotional states con-778 JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH, DECEMBER 2009jmkr.46.6.777:JMR6F 11/18/09 9:19 AM Page 778The Face of Need 779verge with that of the pictured victim. Study 3 examines themoderating role of information by controlling an informationalcomponent in the appeals as well as a cognitive loadจัดการ ได้พบหลักฐานที่จะเศร้าช่วยเห็นใจคนประมวลผลที่เป็นค่อนข้างระดับตื้นแต่ไม่เมื่อพวกเขาจะวิเคราะห์อื่น ๆข้อมูล การศึกษา 4 พบว่า เป็นผลของการเห็นใจแข็งแกร่งเมื่อประชาชนเลือกตนเองสัมผัสกับโฆษณาในที่สุด 5 ศึกษาเผยว่า เฉพาะเมื่อแหล่งที่มาของความโศกเศร้าเป็นนิพจน์ของเหยื่อเพิ่มขึ้นเห็นใจไม่เมื่อความโศกเศร้าเกิดจากแหล่งไม่เกี่ยวข้อง นี้ให้การสนับสนุนเพิ่มเติมสำหรับความบรรจบกันที่อารมณ์ระหว่างเหยื่อและนักการมีความสำคัญสำหรับกระบวนการการแฉ ด้วยกัน เหล่านี้ศึกษาส่องกระบวนการโดยนิพจน์ที่อารมณ์ที่ฝังอยู่ในโฆษณาระบบมีอิทธิพลต่อพฤติกรรม prosocial และเห็นใจ
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