Abstract
Hadi, Rhonda and Valenzuela, Ana (2014) “A Meaningful Embrace: Contingent Effects of Embodied Cues of Affection”. Journal of Consumer Psychology, forthcoming in the October issue
Can a mere gesture lead to intimate product bonding? In this research, we find that affectionate gestures (e.g. hugging, stroking) can serve as routes to object attachment. We suggest that the mere execution of an affectionate gesture can generate emotional attachment, which translates into enhanced product attitudes. However, this effect is contingent on the existence of facilitating conditions via the presence of humanlike characteristics in the target object of the affectionate gesture.
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Ana Valenzuela is the Academic Dean at UPF Barcelona School of Management. She is Associate Professor of Marketing at the Department of Economics and Business. She teaches the course Marketing Analytics at the UPF Barcelona School of Management.
