How Prevalent Is the Negativity Effect in Consumer Environments?
Ahluwalia examines the negativity effect, in which negative information is weighted more heavily than equally extreme positive information, and argues that its robustness in consumer environments may be overstated. Earlier studies typically had people judge unfamiliar, hypothetical targets with the aim of forming an accurate impression, whereas real consumers usually judge familiar brands while pursuing other goals, such as defending an existing impression. Two experiments identify when the effect emerges and when it is less likely to occur.
Ahluwalia examines the negativity effect, in which negative information is weighted more heavily than equally extreme positive information, and argues that its robustness in consumer environments may be overstated. Earlier studies typically had people judge unfamiliar, hypothetical targets with the aim of forming an accurate impression, whereas real consumers usually judge familiar brands while pursuing other goals, such as defending an existing impression. Two experiments identify when the effect emerges and when it is less likely to occur.
Written from the abstract read 2026-10-26 via OpenAlex.
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Ahluwalia, R. (2002). How Prevalent Is the Negativity Effect in Consumer Environments? Journal of Consumer Research, 29(2), 270-279. doi:10.1086/341576.