Sharfenberger and associates evaluated the psychological implications of nearby material objects. They determined that “being physically close to objects helps consumers to feel psychologically close to the more abstract meaning of these objects. Four experimental studies . . . indicate that being proximal to an object reduces the psychological distance to the object’s meaning and enhances the benefits that consumers associate with the object. . . . material objects may . . . act as triggers for future consumption episodes. For example, wearing a festival entrance bracelet may not only allow consumers to connect to a self-defining meaning, but also fuel the desire to re-experience that meaning by visiting the festival again. . . . experiences such as vacations or music festivals may constitute important self-relevant meanings, they are also ephemeral. Material objects that can be held or carried (e.g., souvenirs, shirts, and bracelets) allow consumers to hold onto these meanings and, in a figurative sense, carry them along with them.”
Philipp Scharfenberger, Daniel Wentzel, Luk Warlop, and Verena Riegler. 2023. “The Proximal Self: Why Material Objects Are Particularly Relevant for Consumers’ Self-Definition.” Psychology and Marketing, https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21804
Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.