Variety‐Seeking Tendency in Choice for Others: Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Causes

Abstract

Ratner and Kahn demonstrated that individuals believed that others would seek more variety than they themselves would seek. Building on this finding, we expected the variety-seeking tendency to be greater when people made choices for others, and we examined the mechanisms of this phenomenon. Study 1 explored an interpersonal mechanism and demonstrated that variety seeking for others became stronger when individuals were held accountable for their choices. Studies 2 and 3 explored an intrapersonal mechanism and showed that because of "focusing," people expected satiation with repeated consumption to occur more quickly for others than for self. Implications and future research are discussed. (c) 2006 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..