Citation

Mehta R, Demmers J, van Dolen WM, Weinberg CB. J. Consum. Psychol. 2016; 27(1): 91-97.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Society for Consumer Psychology, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jcps.2016.04.004

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Although previous research has identified red as the color of compliance, the current work proposes that this effect of red may not hold under high sensation-seeking propensity conditions. It is argued that the color red has the capability to induce arousal, which in turn has been shown to enhance a person's default tendencies. Further, because high sensation seekers have a higher tendency to react, the exposure to the color red for these individuals will increase reactance and thereby non-compliant behavior. One field study and two lab experiments provide support for this theorizing. The first experiment, a field study, examines prank-chatting incidences at a child helpline and shows a positive effect of red on such non-compliant behavior. Experiment 2 confirms this finding in a controlled lab setting and shows that when one has a high sensation-seeking propensity, the color red positively affects one's attitude towards non-compliance. The final study illuminates the underlying process and explicates the role of arousal and reactance in the color-non-compliance relationship. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Language: en