Consumer Behavior and Contagion Effects

Consumer behaviour is influenced by more than objective attributes such as price and functionality; it also reflects underlying psychological processes whereby perceptions of products or people are shaped by notions of transfer and contact. Contagion effects describe the tendency of individuals to infer that an object or person acquires qualities through physical or symbolic proximity to another. These effects may be positive, as when a souvenir from a celebrated figure is believed to confer prestige, or negative, as when a blemish on packaging evokes concerns about hygiene and safety. Such processes draw on magical thinking, in which imagined connections override rational evaluations. Consumers apply these inferences across a broad spectrum of contexts—from the design of product packaging and marketing imagery to the modulation of risk perceptions during public health crises. Understanding contagion effects offers firms novel levers for influencing choice and highlights potential barriers to sustainable consumption, particularly in domains requiring repeated use or reuse of goods. By integrating insights from psychology, marketing and behavioural economics, recent research has begun to map the boundary conditions of contagion, the interplay between cultural norms and individual susceptibility, and the practical strategies by which businesses can harness or mitigate these implicit transfer beliefs.

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Consumer Behavior and Contagion Effects publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in consumer behavior and contagion effects across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Contagion effect: A psychological phenomenon whereby people infer transfer of properties between objects or persons through physical or symbolic contact.

Magical thinking: The attribution of causal power to imagined or non-physical connections, leading individuals to believe that thoughts or symbols can affect material reality.

Positive contagion: The belief that beneficial qualities (such as prestige or efficacy) can be transmitted from one object or person to another by association or contact.

Negative contagion: The belief that undesirable properties (such as contamination or impurity) are transferred through contact or proximity.

Contamination concerns: Intuitive anxieties about hygienic or moral impurity that influence consumer willingness to purchase or reuse products.

References

1. When do photos on products hurt or help consumption? How magical thinking shapes consumer reactions to photo‐integrated products. Journal of Consumer Psychology (2024).
2. Background Color Influences Consumer Evaluations: Is There a Product Contagion Effect?. Journal of Food Quality (2024).
3. Does Providing Information about Cleaning Increase People’s Willingness to (Re)Use Bowls That Show Signs of Previous Use?. Sustainability (2024).