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Preferences for Enhancement Pharmaceuticals: The Reluctance to Enhance Fundamental Traits

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  • Jason Riis
  • Joseph P. Simmons
  • Geoffrey P. Goodwin

Abstract

Four studies examined the willingness of young, healthy individuals to take drugs intended to enhance their own social, emotional, and cognitive traits. We found that people were much more reluctant to enhance traits believed to be more fundamental to self-identity (e.g., social comfort) than traits considered less fundamental to self-identity (e.g., concentration ability). Moral acceptability of a trait enhancement strongly predicted people's desire to legalize the enhancement but not their willingness to take the enhancement. Ad taglines that framed enhancements as enabling rather than enhancing the fundamental self increased people's interest in a fundamental trait enhancement and eliminated the preference for less fundamental over more fundamental trait enhancements. (c) 2008 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Riis & Joseph P. Simmons & Geoffrey P. Goodwin, 2008. "Preferences for Enhancement Pharmaceuticals: The Reluctance to Enhance Fundamental Traits," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 35(3), pages 495-508, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:35:y:2008:i:3:p:495-508
    DOI: 10.1086/588746
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    Cited by:

    1. Eric Mayor & Maxime Daehne & Renzo Bianchi, 2019. "How perceived substance characteristics affect ethical judgement towards cognitive enhancement," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-10, March.
    2. Javornik, Ana & Marder, Ben & Pizzetti, Marta & Warlop, Luk, 2021. "Augmented self - The effects of virtual face augmentation on consumers' self-concept," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 170-187.
    3. Gaustad, Tarje & Samuelsen, Bendik M. & Warlop, Luk & Fitzsimons, Gavan J., 2019. "Too much of a good thing? Consumer response to strategic changes in brand image," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 264-280.
    4. Reshadi, Farnoush, 2023. "Failing to give the gift of improvement: When and why givers withhold self-improvement gifts," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).

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