The link between self-uncertainty and conspicuous consumption: Tolerance of uncertainty as a moderator

Abstract

This study, based on self-affirmation theory, aims to investigate the impact of self-uncertainty on individual consumption behavior. Self-uncertainty was categorized into moral, cognitive, and interpersonal self-uncertainty, and different types of self-uncertainty were manipulated through four experiments, including a moral dilemma, a recall paradigm, and a picture quiz task written by E-Prime software to examine the effects of different types of self-uncertainty on conspicuous consumption and their possible boundary conditions. Our results show that moral, cognitive, and interpersonal self-uncertainty contribute to a stronger tendency to engage in conspicuous consumption. Our results also suggest that tolerance of uncertainty moderates the effect of self-uncertainty on conspicuous consumption, meaning that subjects with a high tolerance of uncertainty are less inclined to engage in conspicuous consumption than those with a low tolerance of uncertainty, even if they have high self-uncertainty. This study may provide an explanation for conspicuous consumption behavior, further validating the theory of compensatory consumption. Additionally, the results from this study also provide a reference for understanding people’s decision-making behavior in an uncertain social context and can provide new guidance to control irrational consumption behavior.

Optimal strategy of in-game items with conspicuous consumption: whether to provide the grinding version?

“…Wang and Tian (2022) revealed the deeper connection between face culture (the composite and unified expression of honor, dignity, self-worth, and prestige given by others and felt by the self in social situations) and conspicuous consumption. Wang et al (2022a) showed that moral, cognitive, and interpersonal self-uncertainty contribute to a stronger tendency to engage in conspicuous consumption. People are more likely to shift intention when they perceive social pressure from their surroundings (Liu et al, 2023); therefore, the external environment also greatly affects people's tendency toward conspicuous consumption.…”