Who drives divergence? Identity signaling, outgroup dissimilarity, and the abandonment of cultural tastes
Jonah Berger and Chip Heath report seven studies on why people abandon cultural tastes. People diverged from tastes adopted by groups they saw as dissimilar to themselves, consistent with the idea that visible choices signal identity. The field study sold yellow charity wristbands in one university dormitory and then in a neighbouring dormitory seen as geeky; students in the first began abandoning theirs. The abandonment rates appear only in a working version and are not printed here. No replication has been found in either direction.
Jonah Berger and Chip Heath report seven studies on why people abandon cultural tastes. People diverged from tastes adopted by groups they saw as dissimilar to themselves, consistent with the idea that visible choices signal identity. The field study sold yellow charity wristbands in one university dormitory and then in a neighbouring dormitory seen as geeky; students in the first began abandoning theirs. The abandonment rates appear only in a working version and are not printed here. No replication has been found in either direction.
Written from the verified research record for article 57; abstract only.
What our sources record
Reproduced as it was written when this source was checked, figures and all.
doi:10.1037/0022-3514.95.3.593. Seven studies including the wristband field study. Abandonment rates appear only in a working version and are not printed.