RESEARCH

RESEARCH RECOGNITIONS

RESEARCH INTERESTS

💡Consumer decision-making

💡Atmospherics 

💡AI and digital marketing 

💡Brand morality

💡Gift-giving 

💡Romantic relationships

RECENT WORKS

Fate, Forgiveness, and Brands: How Karmic Beliefs Impact Consumer Responses toward Transgressing Brands 

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research

Volume 10, Number 1

January 2025

Morality and Consumption 

Exploring the interplay between morality-related belief systems and consumer behavior, this research investigates the impact of karma beliefs on responses to brand transgressions. A set of five (and two supplemental) studies show that consumers with stronger (vs. weaker) karmic beliefs exhibit greater forgiveness when faced with moral brand transgressions. This increased forgiveness leads to less negative attitudes and a lower likelihood to withhold purchases from transgressing brands. Notably, the consequence of karmic beliefs pertains only to moral transgressions and does not extend to nonmoral transgressions. These findings contribute to the expanding understanding of how cultural and philosophical beliefs shape consumer morality and behavior. 

“Yes, I'm worth it!”: How romantic breakups influence self-gifting propensity 

Psychology & Marketing 

Volume 41, Issue 9

September 2024

When do consumers indulge in self-gifting? While extant research predominantly explores self-gifting as a coping mechanism in postchallenging phases, this research suggests an additional dimension: self-gifting as a form of self-reward. Drawing from the idea of stress-related growth, this paper focuses on consumer behavior following a romantic breakup, investigating self-gifting as a reward mechanism. Results from five studies consistently demonstrate that the severity of a breakup significant influences consumers' self-gifting propensity in both intrinsic- and extrinsic-rewarding consumption, driven by their heightened perceived deservingness. These effects are attenuated when individuals engage in ruminative thoughts about their tumultuous (vs. harmonious) breakups. These findings explain the nuances of self-gifting behavior following a romantic breakup by establishing a theoretical link between personal failures (e.g., romantic breakups) and a sense of deservingness, which influences consumer's self-gifting propensity as a self-reward.

The tip of the tongue: Language-based chronic social exclusion and tipping as a refocusing strategy

Psychology & Marketing 

Volume 41, Issue 9

September 2024

Language is crucial for successful service exchange, yet it can also become a source of chronic social exclusion for nonnative speakers in the host country. This research examines how language-based chronic social exclusion affects nonnative consumers' experiences and consequently, their tipping behavior. The results from a survey with 355 nonnative speakers in the USA and 355 nonnative speakers in the UK, along with a field study, reveal that these customers feel threatened in terms of their relational and efficacy needs, influencing their desire to restore their self-image. This, in turn, positively influences their tipping behavior. This study is the first to empirically explore language-based chronic social exclusion and its psychological and behavioral effects from the speakers' (nonnative customers') perspective in a service exchange setting. It highlights the importance of inclusive practices and policies to support socially excluded customers based on their language.

To learn more of my work, click on my Google Scholar link here.

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