Who takes the lead in consumer choices within romantic relationships: the evidence from electroencephalography hyperscanning and granger causality analysis

Abstract

In real-life scenarios, joint consumption is common, particularly influenced by social relationships such as romantic ones. However, how romantic relationships affect consumption decisions and determine dominance remains unclear. This study employs electroencephalography hyperscanning to examine the neural dynamics of couples during joint-consumption decisions. Results show that couples, compared to friends and strangers, prefer healthier foods, while friends have significantly faster reaction times when selecting food. Time–frequency analysis indicates that couples exhibit significantly higher theta power, reflecting deeper emotional and cognitive involvement. Strangers show greater beta1 power, indicating increased cognitive effort and alertness due to unfamiliarity. Friends demonstrate higher alpha2 power when choosing unhealthy foods, suggesting increased cognitive inhibition. Inter-brain phase synchrony analysis reveals that couples display significantly higher inter-brain phase synchrony in the beta1 and theta bands across the frontal–central, parietal, and occipital regions, indicating more coordinated cognitive processing and stronger emotional bonds. Females in couples may be more influenced by emotions during consumption decisions, with detailed sensory information processing, while males exhibit higher cognitive control and spatial integration. Granger-causality analysis shows a pattern of male dominance and female dependence in joint consumption within romantic relationships. This study highlights gender-related neural synchronous patterns during joint consumption among couples, providing insights for further research in consumer decision-making.