Would you fancy a premium five o’clock after the funeral? Application of Terror Management Theory in daily shopping decisions

Abstract

The present study has investigated how fear-of-death activation affected consumer food product choices. Undergraduate students (N = 130; Mage = 22.7; Meage = 21) differing on the conscious fear of death level participated in this study. The participants were divided into two experimental and one control groups. In first experimental group fear of death was induced by asking the participants to read an euthanasia story, in second experimental group by asking them to picture their own death. All experimental groups filled a fear of death personality measure prior to the experiment. Afterwards, participants had to indicate their usual shopping preferences, by choosing between several standard and premium-looking food items which were selected in the pilot study. Results show a decreased number of premium product choices in the death activation groups. Conscious level of fear had no impact on those choices. Results are discussed under the terror management theory framework.

Keywords

• fear of death
• consumer choice
• luxury products
• terror management theory
• mortality salience