The existential consumer and humanistic technologies: Does value-congruence trigger well-being states in intrinsically motivated, receptive consumer experiences

This experimental mixed methods study explored the effects of increasing the frequency of positive appraisal sensations in intrinsically motivated, receptive, consumer experiences such as watching movies, reading books, vacationing or dining, watching sports, taking in music, viewing art, attending theater, dance or opera, or watching TV. Using personalized Amazon.com and Netflix movie recommendation algorithms within a control group, and introducing values-based recommendation algorithms within an experimental group, this study qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed experiences to measure for both well-being and loyalty. The findings show that: (a) repeated recall of the positive emotional markers of value-congruence in at least three past exemplar experiences can induce well-being states that are suggestive of earned secure attachment moments, oxytocin release and high vagal tone; (b) individuals can be reliably and repeatedly matched to intrinsic, receptive consumer experiences (i.e., movies) that produce such micro-moments of value-congruence for them; c) individuals who are recommended value-congruent experiences experience eight times more of these positive sensations and spend almost four times more than those who are given recommendations based on electronically traced behavioral history, and d) individuals who experience increased micro-moments of value-congruence report feelings of loyalty and interest in further discovery in multiple domains of their lives. Thematic analysis further showed an introceptive sense of movement in an "up deepening" and "expansion" direction after recall. In addition to these findings, three propositions are asserted that flow from the literature and inquiry to address the research question: 1. Just as clinical psychology benefited from the shift away from behavioral Skinnerian models dominant in the 1950s to a more person-centered, humanistic Rogerian approach---big-data analytic businesses would benefit from an alignment with the well-being goals of individual customers. 2. This alignment can be operationalized within mobile, financial planning, personal growth, and discovery /recommendation technologies that provide ideographic context. 3. Such technology developers are fast becoming our modern world's new life editors, and as such, have need of new algorithmic standards and ethics.;I hope this research will challenge scholars to explore the intersections of the psychological, biological, and computer sciences to advance our understanding of individual agency in sustainable economies of well-being. This emerging junction poses opportunity for critically assessing how recommendation technologies may be used to support states of earned secure attachment rather than inducing and exploiting desire and addiction. This study may also encourage businesses to exercise humanistic person-centered approaches to realize company and stakeholder value.