On the Consumption of Negative Feelings

Abstract

H ow can the hedonistic assumption (i.e., people's willingness to pursue pleasureand avoid pain) be reconciled with people choosing to expose themselves to ex-periences known to elicit negative feelings? We assess how ( 1) the intensity ofthe negative feelings, (2) positive feelings in the aftermath, and (3) the coact1vationof positive and negative feelings contribute to our understanding of such behavior.In a series of four studies, consumers with either approach or avoidance tendencies(toward horror movies) were asked to report their positive and/or negative feelingseither after (experiment 1) or while (experiments 2, 3A, and 3B) they were exposedto a horror movie. We demonstrate how a model incorporating coactivation prin-ciples and enriched with a protective frame moderator (via detachment) can providea more parsimonious and viable description of the affective reactions that resultfrom counterhedonic behavior.