Study On The Effect Of Loneliness On The Transfer Intention Of Idle Goods: The Mediation Effect Of Symbolic Connection

With the development of social economy and the improvement of people’s income level,many individuals and families have significantly increased their idle assets.The sharing and transfer of idle goods has gradually attracted people’s attention.Although platforms such as Xianyu,Lekongkong,Love-recycling,QQ,and We Chat communities provide convenience for people to share and transfer idle items,overall,the frequency of people actually participating in the transfer of idle items is relatively low.How to promote the transfer of idle goods to improve resource utilization efficiency as well as sustainable socio-economic development has become an important issue worth studying.Existing research has focused on the possible impact of individual psychology and emotions on people’s willingness and behavior to transfer idle goods,but the research on this is not specific and in-depth enough.Based on the universal reality of loneliness,this paper aims to analyzes the impact mechanism of loneliness on individuals’ willingness to transfer idle goods.The theoretical foundation of the machanism are the theory of social needs,compensatory consumer behavior theory,and social substitution theory.We explore the mediating role of symbolic bonding and the regulatory role of advertising appeals,also tests them through four empirical studies.Pilot study and study 1 conducted online experiments by manipulating and measuring loneliness,respectively,to verify hypothesis 1,that loneliness enhances individuals’ willingness to transfer idle goods.Research 2 and 3 still used the method of measuring loneliness,and tested hypothesis 2 and hypothesis 3through online situational experiments,namely,the mediating effect of symbolic connection and the moderating effect of advertising appeals.The main conclusions of this study are: firstly,loneliness affects people’s willingness to transfer idle goods.The higher the degree of loneliness an individual feels,the higher their willingness to participate in the transfer of idle goods.This kind of loneliness should be situational rather than chronic.Secondly,individuals in loneliness have a strong desire for symbolic connection.Their willingness to participate in the transfer of idle goods is mediated by symbolic connection rather than by frugality or a sense of moral achievement.Thirdly,when using different types of advertising appeals,the impact of loneliness on individuals’ willingness to transfer idle goods will change.Emphasizing the enhanced social connection function possessed by the transfer of idle goods can strengthen the main effect,while emphasizing the monetary benefits brought by the transfer of idle goods can weaken or even disappear the expected effect.That is,facing consumers in situational loneliness,only when advertising emphasizes the social connection function of idle goods transfer can their desire for object symbolic connection be activated,and their willingness to participate in the transfer will be significantly enhanced.When advertisements emphasize the economic function of transferring idle goods,their willingness to participate in the transfer has not significantly improved compared to consumers in a non-lonely state.This article explores the psychological factors and mechanisms that affect the transfer of idle goods from the perspective of loneliness.It expands the research on the psychological motivation of idle goods transfer behavior,extends the research scope of second-hand trading behavior,excavates the social and psychological benefits contained in the transfer of idle goods.It enriches relevant research on the relationship between loneliness and consumer behavior as well as providing new evidence for lonely individuals to use consumption to compensate for social inadequacy.