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A Little Piece of Me: When Mortality Reminders Lead to Giving to Others

Author

Listed:
  • Lea Dunn
  • Katherine White
  • Darren W Dahl
  • David Glen Mick
  • Laura A Peracchio

Abstract

Past research demonstrates that reminders of one’s own mortality can lead to materialistic and self-serving consumer behaviors. In contrast, across five studies, we explore a condition under which mortality salience (MS) leads to increased tendency to give away one’s possessions—when the donation act is high in transcendence potential. We propose and find that consumers are more likely to donate their possessions to charity under MS (vs. comparison conditions) when the product is considered highly (vs. not highly) connected to the self. Moreover, we demonstrate that this tendency manifests only when transcendence is attainable through donation. In support of the proposition of transcendence as the underlying mechanism, the observed effects are attenuated under conditions where: (1) transcendence has already been satiated via alternative means or (2) the donated possession will not transcend the self (i.e., its physical integrity is lost by being broken down and recycled). The theoretical and practical implications of the work are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Lea Dunn & Katherine White & Darren W Dahl & David Glen Mick & Laura A Peracchio, 2020. "A Little Piece of Me: When Mortality Reminders Lead to Giving to Others," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 47(3), pages 431-453.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:47:y:2020:i:3:p:431-453.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jcr/ucaa020
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Cerio, Eva & Debenedetti, Alain, 2021. "“Should I give it away or sell it?” A strategic perspective on consumers’ redistribution of their unused objects," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 581-591.
    2. Liu, Xing (Stella) & Wan, Lisa C. & Yi, Xiao (Shannon), 2022. "Humanoid versus non-humanoid robots: How mortality salience shapes preference for robot services under the COVID-19 pandemic?," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. Li, Xueni (Shirley) & Kim, Sara & Chan, Kimmy Wa & McGill, Ann L., 2023. "Detrimental effects of anthropomorphism on the perceived physical safety of artificial agents in dangerous situations," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 841-864.
    4. Zhanyu Liu & Zishu Ma & Yuqiong Lei, 2023. "Prospects of Mortality Salience for Promoting Sustainable Public Sector Management: A Survey Experiment on Public Service Motivation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-18, July.
    5. Duong, Trang Thi-Thuy & Ngo, Liem Viet & Surachartkumtonkun, Jiraporn & Tran, Mai Dong & Northey, Gavin, 2023. "Less is more! A pathway to consumer's transcendence," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    6. Kirk, Colleen P. & Rifkin, Laura S., 2020. "I'll trade you diamonds for toilet paper: Consumer reacting, coping and adapting behaviors in the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 124-131.
    7. Graul, Antje R.H. & Brough, Aaron R. & Isaac, Mathew S., 2022. "How emotional attachment influences lender participation in consumer-to-consumer rental platforms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1211-1217.

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