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Categories Help Us Make Happier Choices

Date:
July 17, 2008
Source:
University of Chicago Press Journals
Summary:
Most of us have stood in a supermarket aisle, overwhelmed with the array of choices. Making those choices is easier if the options are categorized, according to a new research.
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Most of us have stood in a supermarket aisle, overwhelmed with the array of choices. Making those choices is easier if the options are categorized, according to new research.

Authors Cassie Mogilner (Stanford University), Tamar Rudnick, and Sheena S. Iyengar (both Columbia University) demonstrate a surprising phenomenon called the “mere categorization effect,” where consumers are happier with their choices if their options are categorized, even if the categories are meaningless.

“People confronted with highly categorized large selections are happier with their decisions because they experience a sense of self-determination as a result of perceiving differences among the available options,” write the authors.

In one study, participants chose magazines from different displays, some that were categorized and some that were not. Those who were asked to choose a magazine they weren’t familiar with tended to be more satisfied with their choices if they came from categorized selections.

In another study, people at a food court were randomly selected to choose coffee from several menus. The coffee options were either categorized or uncategorized. “Consumers who chose a coffee flavor from a menu divided into seemingly meaningless categories such as Categories A, B, and C were just as happy as those who chose from meaningful categories such as ‘Mild,’ ‘Dark Roast,’ and ‘Nutty,’” write the authors.

When participants were already quite familiar with the items they were selecting, they didn’t need to rely on categories to pick what they wanted, and were less susceptible to the mere categorization effect, the authors found.

“Although is assumed the size of a selection is more important to the consumer than the number of categories, the findings of this investigation reveal the opposite to be true,” write the authors. “Categorization can benefit retailers by providing them with an alternative to stocking additional volumes of goods. Categorization can also alleviate marketers’ and consumers’ desire for ever-increasing choices by enabling consumers to discover variety, experience self-determination, and obtain satisfaction simply by highlighting the variety already available.”


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Materials provided by University of Chicago Press Journals. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Mogilner et al. The Mere Categorization Effect: How the Presence of Categories Increases Choosers’ Perceptions of Assortment Variety and Outcome Satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Research, 2008; 35 (2): 202 DOI: 10.1086/588698

Cite This Page:

University of Chicago Press Journals. "Categories Help Us Make Happier Choices." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 July 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716184415.htm>.
University of Chicago Press Journals. (2008, July 17). Categories Help Us Make Happier Choices. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716184415.htm
University of Chicago Press Journals. "Categories Help Us Make Happier Choices." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716184415.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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