The positive effect of physical constraints on consumer evaluations of service providers

ABSTRACT: Consumers tend to have negative perceptions of service providers that limit their freedom. People might therefore be expected to respond particularly negatively to service providers that physically limit their freedom of movement. Yet, we suggest that physical constraints that a service provider unapologetically imposes with no obvious logical justification (e.g., closing a door and restricting consumers to stay inside a room) may, in fact, boost consumers’ evaluations of the service provider. We propose that this effect occurs because consumers perceive such constraints as creating a structured environment, which they inherently value. Six studies lend converging support to these propositions, while ruling out alternative accounts (cognitive dissonance, self-attribution theory). We furthe

SUBMITTER: Steinhart Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9550037 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature