Lose Rationality,Gain Warmth

In a decision-making context,products often have two types of attributes: hard attributes,which are immutable and have objective measures,and soft attributes,which lack objective measures and depend on consumer tastes.Options that perform better on hard attributes are referred to as hard options,while options that are superior in soft attributes are called soft options.Ordinary people tend to pursue rationality excessively and naively believe that rational people should choose hard options.But is it really completely beneficial to choose hard options? How do others perceive these decisionmakers? This study proposes that compared to those who choose hard options,observers believe that people who choose soft options are warmer.This phenomenon and downstream consequences are verified through eleven studies.Studies 1 to 3 aim to investigate the impression of warmth and competence of decision-makers who choose the soft option and its robustness.Study 1 adopts an imaginative paradigm and investigates the impression of warmth and competence of decision-makers who choose the soft option in the purchase scenarios of cameras,headphones,and chocolates.The participants read a scenario in which they got to know a decision-maker and witnessed their choice of the hard or soft option.Then,the participants reported their perception of the warmth and competence of the decisionmaker.Study 2 explores the views of others on decision-makers who choose the soft option through two scenario-specific experiments,in which the participants need to choose between two decision-makers who chose the soft and hard options,respectively,in scenarios that value competence or warmth.The results of Study 1 and Study 2 both indicate that compared to decision-makers who choose the hard option,others perceive those who choose the soft option as warmer.Study 3 investigates the views of others on decision-makers who choose the soft option based on responsibility exchange theory.The results also indirectly indicate that others perceive those who choose the soft option as warmer.Studies 4 and 5 aim to investigate the perception of warmth and competence of decision-makers who choose the soft option,and the behavioral consequences of this perception.In study 4,we explored the effect of decision maker’s perceived warmth on the bystander’s subsequent helping behavior through a behavioral experiment.Participants came to the laboratory and read a recruitment advertisement after completing an irrelevant task,then they were required to make a helping choice.Study5 explored whether others would be more likely to befriend the decision maker who chose the soft option through a behavioral experiment.Results from Studies 4 and 5indicated that others were more likely to help and befriend decision makers who chose the soft option.This study explores the impression of soft option decision makers from others’ perspective and reveals the benefits that these decision makers can gain at the behavioral level.The results show that others perceive decision makers who choose the soft option as warmer,and others are thus more likely to engage in proactive facilitation behaviors toward them.In addition,this study reveals a new warmth signal,that the soft and hard attributes of the decision maker’s choice of goods also emit different signals to others.The study also reveals the potential benefits of choosing soft options from an interpersonal perspective,as truly rational decisions not only reflect decision satisfaction,but also benefit decision makers in other ways(e.g.,in interpersonal interactions).The findings also extend the choice perception theory and allow us to reexamine lay rationalism from a new perspective.This study also has some application value.The findings can help people rethink their choices and manage their impressions according to the situation.A warm and approachable image can also be created by appropriate options in the process of service marketing and policy development,so that marketing and management goals can be better achieved.