Feeling excluded? Join the crowd: How social exclusion affects approach behavior toward consumer-dense retail environments

Understanding the COVID-19 tourist psyche: The Evolutionary Tourism Paradigm

“…Previous evolutionary-based research has noted that perceptions of and attitudes toward crowding vary depending on which fundamental motive is activated. For example, the affiliation motive has been linked to a preference for crowded retail spaces as a way of getting closer to others ( Thomas & Saenger, 2019 ), while the activation of the behavioral immune system increases people's perceptions of crowding and the feeling of negative affect toward such environments ( Wang & Ackerman, 2019 ). The latter finding has been explained as an adaptive way of avoiding disease as the risk of contracting a disease is higher in crowded environments ( Wang & Ackerman, 2019 ).…”

Crowded and popular: The two sides of the coin affecting theme-park experience, satisfaction, and loyalty

“…While crowding has been commonly associated with negative connotations and negative impacts on consumer experiences, it may not always have a negative impact on consumers. Crowds can sometimes enhance the overall consumer experience, whether it is a concert, a restaurant, a guided tour, or any other tourism and hospitality experience ( Thomas & Saenger, 2019 ).…”

Not so social: When social media increases perceptions of exclusions and negatively affects attitudes toward content

“…Given that social exclusion is a common experience (Duclos et al, 2013; Wesselmann et al, 2017), Su et al (2017) argue that understanding the influence of rejection on consumption has become of utmost importance. Research in marketing has examined the impact of social exclusion on the targets of rejection (R. P. Chen et al, 2017; David & Roberts, 2017; Duclos et al, 2013; Isaksen & Roper, 2012; Lee & Shrum, 2012; Mead et al, 2011; Su et al, 2017, 2019; Thomas & Saenger, 2019; Wan et al, 2014). To date, though, research in marketing has overlooked the effects of rejection on individuals observing others experiencing exclusion.…”

“…For example, Mead et al (2011) find that to repair a threatened need for belonging, consumers will align their spending with the preferences of their membership groups, even selecting unappealing food items or engaging in illegal activities. Additionally, socially excluded individuals are more likely to switch brands and product choices (Su, Jiang, Chen, & Dewall, 2017), prefer anthropomorphized brands (R. P. Chen, Wan, & Levy, 2017), crowded retail spaces (Thomas & Saenger, 2019) and products with dense visual patterns (Su et al, 2019), as well as engage in riskier but potentially more lucrative financial decisions (Duclos, Wan, & Jiang, 2013), all as a means to reduce the aversive feelings associated with this threat and regain affiliation.…”