(The) impact of variety seeking on enjoyment level during decision making

Abstract

People instinctively assume that they would enjoy variety seeking, but is this true? This research examines whether variety-seeking behavior can increase people's perceived enjoyment and pleasure during decision-making. Although a body of consumer research suggests enough evidence that variety is associated with positive emotions, there has been no research regarding the emotional impact of variety-seeking during decision making. The purpose of the experiments was to determine if variety-seeking behavior will lead to higher enjoyment levels and identify the conditions that need to be satisfied to make this impact achievable. Three experiments demonstrate that people find the decision-making process more enjoyable when they incorporate variety than when they do not. Experiment 2 presents that this effect remains regardless of whether the participants will receive the outcome or not. The results imply that the process of exploring variety can induce positive emotion even without the expected utility of the consumption taken into consideration. Moreover, Experiment 3 confirms that this effect is valid only when people actively participate in variety seeking. By suggesting distinctive insights for the emotional perspective of variety-seeking behavior in decision-making, this research contributes to the existing body of consumer research.