The Impact of Abundance on Creativity
Does susceptibility to abundance influence creativity when
experiencing abundance
Ingeborg Zimmer 16th of June 2016
The Impact of Abundance on Creativity
Does susceptibility to abundance influence creativity when
experiencing abundance
Master Thesis Marketing Management
by
Ingeborg Zimmer
16th of June 2016
University of Groningen Faculty of Economics and Business
MSc Marketing Management
Ingeborg Mariska Zimmer Petrus Driessenstraat 32 9714 CC Groningen, the Netherlands
Phone number: 06-43481668 E-mail: ingeborg_zimmer@hotmail.com
Student number: s2575671
Abstract
In the West-European culture, more and more people experience abundance. However, little is known about what the impact is of abundance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of experiencing abundance on creativity, and how susceptibility to abundance influences this effect. A two-way ANOVA test is used to analyze the gathered data. The one hundred and eight respondents were assigned to one of the four conditions based on if they were primed with abundance or not and whether they were susceptible to abundance or not. It was expected people experiencing abundance would be less creative compared to persons who do not experience abundance. The opposite was found although this effect was not proven to be significant. Secondly, we investigated if susceptibility to abundance influences creativity. This main effect was also not significant, however an increase of creativity was found when susceptible to abundance. Some will take risks and chances to gain an ultimate goal: abundance. Therefore, we explored if this the relation between abundance and creativity was influenced by susceptibility to abundance. A significant interaction effect was found. Our results support our third hypothesis which stated that people who experience abundance are more creative when they are susceptible to abundance compared to when they are not susceptible to abundance.
Table of Contents
Introduction ... 5
1. Literature review ... 6
Creativity and abundance... 6
Susceptibility to abundance (high BAS) and creativity ... 7
Hypothesis ... 8 Conceptual model ... 9 2. Method ... 9 Research design ... 9 Participants ... 9 Procedure ... 10
Independent variable 1: Abundance ... 11
Independent variable 2: Susceptibility to abundance ... 11
Dependent variable ... 12
Control variables ... 12
Plan of analysis ... 13
3. Results ... 13
Sample characteristics ... 13
Two way ANOVA... 14
Introduction
Abundance has emerged as the norm for a lot of people (Zhu and Ratner, 2015). In this paper abundance is defined as the availability of and accessibility to resources (Dugger & Peach, 2015). Although in the West-European culture, more and more people experience abundance conventional literature focuses on scarcity, the opposite of abundance. Availability and accessibility are two reasons why a larger percentage of the population in West-Europe are experiencing abundance. Availability of resources increases due to the rise and competition of supermarkets, restaurants, online webshops, and the increase of internet access (Sleijpen, 2012). Accessibility to resources increases due to a declining employment rate in the EU (Europa NU, 2016) and an increase of income which give access to plenty of other resources. A consumer can get anything, anywhere, at any moment which gives a sense of abundance. However, little is known about what the impact is of abundance therefore it is interesting to see what the consequences of abundance are.
This study analyses whether abundance influences creativity. Creativity is important at the individual level, but also for society. At the individual level, creativity becomes handy in daily life and solving problems on the job. However, on the level of society, creativity can result in new scientific findings, new inventions, and new social programs which trigger employment (Sternberg & Lubart, 1999). To summarize, if people get less creative this can have a huge impact. Especially if experiencing abundance is the cause of this decrease in creativity. There is not a lot of research into this phenomenon as this is a relatively new field of study. However, past research has provided some first steps in researching what the effect is of abundance on product use creativity.
Imagine having a hole in a shirt. Would you rather think of a way to fix it, use it for something else or would you throw it away? Finishing dinner without experiencing abundance might trigger people to think about the usage of the leftovers for alternative purposes, such as tomorrow’s dinner. By experiencing abundance people do not have to answer such questions. This suggests people are less challenged in life when experiencing abundance since they have to think less about creative solutions. Does this result in less creativity by persons who experience abundance?
reasoning we expect when persons are susceptible to abundance they are more creative compared to persons who are not.
Lastly, we want to explore if this effect influence the effect of abundance to creativity. Therefore our research question is defined as followed: What is the impact of experiencing abundance on creativity, and how does susceptibility to abundance influences this effect?
This paper is designed as follows: the first chapter will give an overview of existing literature regarding the (in)dependent variables that have been used to examine the research question. Hypotheses have also been formulated and will be explained in this chapter. In the second chapter the method used for the research is explained. Chapter three presents an elaborate overview of all the empirical results. In the final chapter, a discussion is provided whereby conclusions have been drawn based on our hypothesis and research. Also, some findings and suggestions for future research will be given. To finalize, managerial implications and the limitations will be covered.
1. Literature review
Creativity and abundance
Abundance is the availability of and accessibility to resources (Dugger & Peach, 2015). The Oxford Dictionary (2016) defines abundance as follows: ‘’the state or condition of having a copious quantity of something; plentifulness’’. This implies that persons experiencing abundance have access to more than enough of anything. One variant of abundance is economic abundance. This is defined as a level of income high enough that the major concerns of society can be shifted away, from further increases in real income to other purposes (Rostow, 1990). Abundance is not only generated by income, but with a high income a person has access to plenty of resources. For example, someone can buy more than enough products like food, drinks, clothes and so on. Furthermore, you can have abundance of time when you are not in hurry and do not feel any time pressure.
‘’Creativity can be described as the production of an innovative, appropriate, and surprising solution to a complex problem’’ (Radel, Davranche, Fournier & Dietrich, 2015). Ochse (1990) states that creativity involves bringing something into being that is original and valuable. Original is defined as something new, unusual, novel, and unexpected. Valuable is defined as useful, good, adaptive, and appropriate.
creativity. Indicating that it can go both ways. As Rostow (1990) mentioned major concerns of society can be shifted away due to abundance, this probably also results in less situational pressure. This suggests people experiencing abundance are less challenged in life compared to persons who do not experience abundance. One of the reasons is that abundance causes functional fixedness, implying persons who experience abundance do not have to think beyond established functionalities to find a solution (Caruso & Mead 2012). Additional to this Norton, Rucker & Lamberton (2015) explain when experiencing abundance basic expenses do not require much attention, effort, or creativity to handle. As a result, a general sense of abundance leads to less product use creativity than a general sense of scarcity as Mehta and Zhu (2015) stated. This is in line with Caruso and Mead’s (2012) assertion who found that a person experiencing scarcity might think more how to use and implement a product in more innovative ways and in different situations compared to a person who experiences abundance and uses the product in the traditional way. But what about the overall creativity of a person? The outcome of these studies implies that persons who experience abundance are less creative compared to persons who do not experience abundance. Therefore it is expected that experiencing abundance results in less creativity.
Susceptibility to abundance (high BAS) and creativity
If someone is susceptible to abundance this means that this person wants to have availability and accessibility to resources so that someone can have more than enough of anything. As mentioned before more people experience abundance, but it seems that there is also an increase in people who are susceptible to abundance. More wealth and material possessions are essential to the good life for a lot of people (Kasser, 2003). Luxury brands are still increasing even in economic downturns and refer to an indulgence (Jackson, 2004). When susceptible to abundance one can show their personal abundance, wealth, and status by buying luxury brands. ‘Showing your wealth is a desirable characteristic because it implies the possessions of abundant resources that are required to buy luxury products’ (Nelissen & Meijers, 2011).
1994). We will focus on the BAS part of this scale in this study since the personality traits of BAS are related to susceptibility to abundance. When having a high BAS persons are more susceptible to abundance.
People possessing a high level of openness to experience are more successful in creativity tasks (Schoen, Bowler & Schilpzand, 2011) (Li, Chan & Zhang, 2016). De Dreu, Nijstad & Baas (2011) found the trait of openness to experience, extraversion, and positive affectivity are linked to BAS and creativity. This would mean that people with a high score on BAS are expected to be more creative. Also, motivation is one requirement for creativity (Damasio, 2001). As said before movement toward a goal is linked to persons with a high BAS, persons with a high BAS probably feel more motivated to reach the goal abundance. Therefore, it can be expected when susceptibility to abundance people are more creative compared to persons who are not.
To summarize, this could mean that being susceptible to abundance influences the effect of abundance on creativity. It is expected that abundance leads to a decrease of creativity and susceptibility to abundance to an increase of creativity. Therefore, a moderating effect is possible. Susceptibility to abundance would then reduce the negative effect of abundance on creativity.
Hypothesis
As a result of the literature review three hypotheses are formulated. A short explanation is given by every hypothesis based on previous literature.
When a person experiences abundance will this influence the creativity of that person? As mentioned before people are less challenged in life when they always have more than enough of anything. Therefore it is expected that people become less creative when primed with a sense of abundance.
H1: Priming with a sense of abundance (vs. neutral priming) negatively influences a person’s creativity
When someone is susceptible to abundance that person is motivated and more willing to take risks to achieve abundance. Therefore susceptibility to abundance is related to a high BAS. Persons with a high BAS are expected to be more creative due to their personality traits. Based on previous reasoning the following was hypothesed.
Personality and situational pressures are both a function of creativity. Since it is expected that susceptibility to abundance positively influences creativity, it is expected that this will also positively influence the effect on abundance to creativity.
H3: The effect of abundance on creativity is moderated by the susceptibility to abundance: People who experience abundance are more creative when they are susceptible to abundance compared to when they are not susceptible to abundance
Conceptual model
Figure 1: Conceptual model
2. Method
Research design
In this quantitative research the data will be gained through a field experiment. This way the dependent variable, creativity, can be measured best. A factorial design will be used: every level of every independent variable will be crossed with every level of every other independent variable. All possible combinations are included. Two independent variables are used, general abundance and susceptibility to abundance, whereby susceptibility to abundance functions as the moderator. This results in the following design: 2 (general abundance: priming vs. control condition) x 2 (susceptibility to abundance high vs. low BAS) between-subjects factorial design on creativity. Therefore, there will be four experimental conditions.
Participants
between-subjects factorial design was used, this means that every participant served in only one of the four conditions. Upfront, it was not known in which susceptibility to abundance condition the respondents would fall. Therefore, it was particularly important that the participants were randomly allocated to the priming or the control condition of general abundance.
Participants were recruited in three different ways. The researchers of this paper were involved in another students’ research about vegetarians at the University of Groningen. These other students recruited vegetarian students in exchange for a small monetary compensation. From this vegetarian research project, participants were recruited for this study. After having formerly participated in the vegetarian study, the non-Dutch students were asked to take part voluntarily in this research project. Most of the respondents were recruited in this way. Secondly, between the hours of 9:30 and 18:00, respondents were recruited from two university locations, at the university library and the university refectory. Thirdly, the network of the researcher was used. As said before the participants recruited from the other research were vegetarians. These respondents were systematically compared with the respondents recruited in one of the other ways. There was no difference in these groups and therefore all respondents were seen together as one sample.
Procedure
First of all the researchers made a questionnaire in Qualtrics. This questionnaire included the priming task, the creativity task, the BIS/BAS scale, the mood questionnaire, two demographic questions, and a control question, these will be briefly discussed further in this chapter. In appendix 1 a visual representation of the questionnaire is given, from appendix 2 the full questionnaire is shown in the right order.
to measure susceptibility to abundance. This questionnaire was followed up by the Brief Mood Introspection Scale (Mayer & Gaschke, 1988), to indicate the present mood of the respondent. Additional to previous questionnaires two demographic questions were asked, namely gender and age. The last question was a control question to find out if the respondent ever felt a sense of abundance before. The respondent was thanked for his/her participation and if interested in the results of the study there was an option to fill in an email address.
Independent variable 1: Abundance
The first independent variable, abundance, was manipulated by priming which is a frequently used method in psychology. It activates certain concepts in the subjects' minds without drawing their attention to this activation (Matthey, 2010). Roux, Goldsmith and Bonezzi (2015) used an episodic recall task adapted from Fischhoff et al. (2003) to expose respondents to reminders of resource scarcity. This manipulation was proven to be effective by Roux, Goldsmith and Bonezzi (2015). Since abundance is the opposite of scarcity the same test was used but some words were changing.
We asked the respondents in the abundance prime condition to remember a time in their life when they felt they had more than enough of anything, or when they felt that they had plentiful of something (e.g., money, time, food, etc.). After this we asked them to remember as good as possible the feeling and thoughts which went through their minds when they felt they had more than enough or plenty of something (see Appendix 3a). In both task they have to write down in detail what they remembered going back to this particular memory. The control group was neutrally primed using the same control task as Roux, Goldsmith and Bonezzi (2015) used in their scarcity study. The task included the question to remember and write down the last time they went to the supermarkets and what kind of thoughts and feelings they were thinking about going back to this memory (see Appendix 3b).
Independent variable 2: Susceptibility to abundance
explained in the literature review, a high score for BAS implies the respondents are susceptible to abundance. Accordingly, depending on the questionnaire outcome the respondent was assigned to one of the two categories (susceptibility to abundance: high BAS vs. low BAS). The BAS score was split based on the median of the whole sample (38.5). Forty-two (38,9%) respondents scored lower than the median, sixty-six (61,1%) respondents score above the median. When a respondent scored above the median this was considered a high BAS score, meaning this respondent was susceptible to abundance. A dummy variable was created assigning respondents to either the low or high BAS condition. A dummy variable taking the value of one applies to respondents with a score equal to or higher than the median value and are considered high in BAS, and zero otherwise.
Dependent variable
The dependent variable in this research is creativity. Creativity can be measured in different ways; one way to measure creativity is the use of flat associative hierarchies. In this study respondents performed a well-known task to measure creativity, namely the Remote Associates Test (Mednick and Mednick, 1967). In this task the respondents were given three words, at first sight these words look unrelated but one additional word connect these three. A formation of a compound word, a synonym or a semantic association is the solution. The following example was given: cottage – Swiss – cake, the answer was ‘cheese’, because: cottage cheese – Swiss cheese – cheesecake. The task consisted out twenty-five items and the respondents had four minutes to try and identify as many words as possible (see Appendix 4). A reliability analysis on the twenty-five creativity items showed a Cronbach’s Alpha of α = 0.884 this means the variables can be summed into one variable. When the respondent gave a correct solution that person earned one point, if not correct zero points. The sum of the correctly solved combinations on the Remote Associates Test was their total creativity score. The average creativity score was M = 1.59, SD = 3.04. The higher the score, the more creative.
Control variables
measuring mood, where the seven positive mood indicators were reversed so that a high value indicates the same type of response on every item. The Cronbach’s Alpha is α = .803. Therefore, a sum variable was conducted using all sixteen questions.
The purpose of the last control question was to find out what the respondents’ current state of abundance was and if they ever felt abundance before. They had to indicate on a seven point Likert scale if they felt that they sometimes have had more than enough of everything (see Appendix 8). Where one was strongly agree and seven was strongly disagree. This question was used to check if their current state had any effect on the results. The average score on this question was M = 3.22, SD = 1.48.
Plan of analysis
In order to analyze the stated hypotheses, the tool SPSS was used. Since a 2x2 design is used, three effects will be tested. These three effects consist out two main effects, namely the effect of abundance on creativity and the effect of susceptibility to abundance on creativity. The third effect is the interaction effect (moderation), whether or not susceptibility to abundance effects the relation between abundance and creativity.
The effects will be analyzed in a full factorial two-way ANOVA. The independent variables were split based upon the median. After splitting both variables into two groups, a two-way ANOVA could be performed. Because this study analyzes two independent variables, univariate testing can be used in SPSS. After doing a two-way ANOVA it is important to first look at the interaction effects (Leliveld & Hillemans, 2012). Does the relationship between abundance and creativity change by adding the third variable: susceptible to abundance? The sample means are used to describe this effect. The significance of the overall effect, interaction terms, and main effects of individual factors are examined by appropriate F tests and have to be significant on a statistical 5% significance level.
3. Results
Sample characteristics
abundance condition. The dependent variable creativity was tested by the Remote Associates Test test. The number of correct solutions on the Remote Associates Test is the creativity score. The average creativity score was M = 1.59, SD = 3.04.
Two way ANOVA
We conducted a two way ANOVA with a 2 (general abundance: priming vs. control condition) x 2 (susceptibility to abundance: low vs. high BAS) between-subjects factorial design on creativity. The two-way ANOVA was conducted with the two independent variables: general abundance and susceptibility to abundance. When the two-way ANOVA was conducted we first looked at the interaction effect. When the two lines in the graph cross each other, an interaction effect is usually present. In Figure 2 it is shown that the two lines in the graph are crossed.
Figure 2: Interaction effect two way ANOVA
This interaction effect appeared to be significant, F (1.104) = 5.033, p = 0.027, this result is aligned with hypothesis 3. Meaning that the priming effect on a persons’ creativity is influenced by susceptibility to abundance. Before we look deeper into this interaction effect, we first interpret the main effects.
effect was not significant this outcome was the opposite of what we expected to find. The second main effect, susceptibility to abundance on creativity was also not found to be significant. When susceptible to abundance, so respondents with a high BAS score higher on creativity (M = 1.80, SD = 3.80) compared to the respondents who are not susceptible to abundance (M = 1.39, SD = 2.05), F (1.104) = .315, p = .576. This was in line with our expectations. Meaning that when someone is susceptible to abundance this person is more creative compared to a person who is not susceptible to abundance.
Disordinal interactions involve crossing lines, looking at Figure 2 it seems we have a disordinal interaction. Thereby implying, abundance on creativity is influenced by susceptibility to abundance. Inspection of the means showed that when respondents were primed with abundance, susceptibility to abundance leads to an increase in a respondents’ creativity (M = 2.69, SD = 4.96) compared to respondents who were not susceptible to abundance (M = 1.07, SD = 2.03). In the control condition where respondents were primed neutral this is the other way around. Respondents get less creative when susceptible to abundance (M = .76, SD = 1.05) compared to respondents who are not susceptible to abundance (M = 1.73, SD = 2.05). The moderator influences the relations between abundance and creativity, although the influence of the moderator is different per condition. In the priming condition it has a positive influence, in the control group this influence is negative. In conclusion this means that persons who are experiencing abundance and are susceptible to abundance are the most creative persons in this study. Least creative are persons who do not experience abundance but are susceptible to abundance.
someone is primed with abundance (M = 1.03, SD = 1.97) compared to someone who is neutrally primed (M = 1.73, SD = 2.05). In sum, the moderator only shows an effect when the respondents are susceptible to abundance (respondents with a high BAS).
Next, a correlation table was made including the variables: mood, BAS score, gender, age, current state and, the total creativity score. A negative correlation was found with the variables age and the BAS score (r = -.21, p = .026). To control for extraneous variance an ANOVA test was conducted with age as covariate. Although age was not significant, F (1.103) = 1.722, (p = .192) this indicates how older the person the lower they scored on the BAS test. Further, the correlation does effect the results of the ANOVA, the interaction effect is slightly more significant (p = 0.024) compared to the ANOVA test without age as covariate (p = 0.027). For the other variables no correlation was found.
4. Discussion
Conclusion
The main objective of this study was to find out if respondents primed with abundance influence a persons’ creativity and if susceptibility to abundance influences someone’s creativity. Secondly, we explored if the relation between abundance and creativity was influenced by the moderator: susceptibility to abundance. The hypothesis were tested using a 2 (general abundance: priming vs. control condition) x 2 (susceptibility to abundance high vs. low BAS) between-subjects factorial design on creativity. A two-way ANOVA was conducted to analyze the data.
Although it was expected that respondents priming with a sense of abundance (vs. control group) would negatively influence a person’s creativity, the analyses showed no significant effect for hypothesis 1. Secondly we expected susceptibility to abundance (vs. not susceptible to abundance) would positively influence a person’s creativity. However, no support for hypothesis 2 was found either. Thirdly, the relation between someone primed with abundance and someone’s creativity was positively influenced by the moderator: susceptibility to abundance. A significant interaction effect was present. Respondents primed with abundance, who were susceptible to abundance, scored highest on the creativity test. Thereby, our results support our third hypothesis which stated that people who experience abundance are more creative when they are susceptible to abundance compared to persons who are not susceptible to abundance.
abundance. Interestingly, when looking at the control group this effect was not significant, there was almost no difference in the outcome when susceptible to abundance or not. Whereas in the priming condition this is the other way around, there is a significant difference between these two conditions. This clearly shows a moderator effect which changes the direction of the effect.
Why do individuals with a high BAS (susceptible to abundance) score better on creativity when primed with abundance? Persons who are susceptible to abundance are more motivated to move toward a goal, motivation is one requirement for creativity (Damasio, 2001). When persons already experience abundance it is easier to stay in this state of abundance. The common saying ‘the rich get richer’ summarizes this. Especially, when people already experience abundance and are used to it, persons probably do not want to step back again. On the other hand, the road from no abundance to abundance is harder than staying in the same situation, this might be the reason why there is almost no effect in the control condition. Chakravarti (2006) stated that when experiencing scarcity for a longer period of time, these persons get less motivated. Although in this study persons did not experience scarcity it might be the same for not experiencing abundance. When not experiencing abundance, the goal to reach abundance can seem so far away that persons are less motivated to move toward this.
Secondly, in previous literature it is found when people have the feeling they have a lot they become more selfish. Gino and Wiltermuth (2014) found that dishonesty lead to creativity this might be the reason why people experiencing abundance and are susceptible to abundance are more creative.
Still, previous research found that abundance would decrease product use creativity, and scarcity would increases this. Therefore, it was expected that experiencing abundance would decrease creativity as well. In this study, although this effect was not significant the respondents primed with abundance seem more creative compared to the control condition, which was the opposite of what was predicted. Goff (1993) stated that life satisfaction increases creativity, this can be a reason why abundance increases creativity. Rostow (1990) mentioned major concerns of society can be shifted away due to abundance, this might increase life satisfaction as well.
for this outcome is younger persons are more susceptible to peer pressure, when getting older the susceptibility to peer pressure decreases (Steinberg, Monahan, 2007). This phenomenon might be linked with susceptibility to abundance implying that the desire for showing your wealth and abundance will also decrease.
Managerial implications
From a business perspective the outcome of this study is especially interesting for companies who are selling luxury products. Consumers who experience abundance have resources to buy luxury products. When these consumers are susceptible to abundance as well, this might result in the fact that they want to show their wealth by buying luxury products. Therefore, we can assume the target audience of luxury brands are more creative than the regular consumers and therefore needs a different approach. Looking at the contemporary retail landscape, it can be assumed that companies selling luxury products and have a creative approach are successful. Think about brands like Apple, Heineken and Nike; these brands go way further than just selling a product. These brands look to push the boundaries of their consumers in their experience of the product than just simply sell them a product. The outcome of this study might be a reason consumers with those characteristics are more attracted to luxury brands with a creative approach.
When a firms’ target group exists of creative consumers this can be of real value for a firm since these consumers are a rich source of innovation (Berthon, Pitt, McCarthy and Kates, 2007). Therefore firms should recognize these consumers, identify their actions and understand how to create value from them. Co-creation can be the result of collaboration between companies and creative consumers. Co-creation involve engagement from consumers in the process of production and innovation (Potts et al., 2008).
Creative employees can be from high value, since creative persons are more flexible in their thinking and produce different types of ideas (Rossman & Fink, 2010). We can assume that employees in a company with a high salary probably experience abundance. In this study we found when also susceptible to abundance this results in an increase in a person’s creativity. Since these persons having a high BAS, they are sensitive for rewards. Therefore, organizations can stimulate the creativity of these persons through bonuses.
Limitations
limited. Therefore, it is not possible to be completely certain if a respondent actually felt a sense of abundance. Besides this point, abundance is always relative. It is hard to say what a person states under abundance, since persons in general tend to take for granted the things which are available in abundance (Zhu and Ratner, 2015).
Secondly, the creativity task was in English and most of the participants were not native English speakers. In future research it would be recommended to use a different task to measure creativity. The Guildford’s Alternative Uses Task (1967) could be an alternative to measure creativity. In this task it is not needed to have a certain level of knowledge of something. Secondly, it can be easily translated into different languages. In this task respondents have to list non-obvious uses for an item which are common in a household in a fixed amount of time. Examples of these items are a brick, paperclip or a newspaper. On the other hand, the participants in this study were either international students, Dutch students who followed their studies in English, or persons who have lived abroad. Therefore, their English was of a high level.
In previous literature abundance is mostly compared to scarcity. (Shah, Mullainathan & Shafir, 2012) mentioned this as an important fact what is easily overlooked, assuming the psychology of scarcity is the same as the psychology of abundance. Although abundance is the opposite of scarcity it might be more complicated than suggested at first sight. This might be a reason why the results found in this study are different compared to previous research.
References
Berthon, P. R., Pitt, L. F., McCarthy, I., & Kates, S. M. (2007). When customers get clever: Managerial approaches to dealing with creative consumers. Business Horizons, 50(1), 39-47.
Caruso, E. M., & Mead, N. L. (2012). The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: How Resource
Abundance and Scarcity Shape Consumer Behavior. Advances In Consumer Research, 4058 -61.
Carver, C. S., & White, T. L. (1994). Behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, and affective responses to impending reward and punishment: the BIS/BAS scales. Journal of personality and social psychology, 67(2), 319.
Damasio, A. R. (2001). Some notes on brain, imagination and creativity. The origins of creativity, 59 -68.
Chakravarti, D. 2006. Voices unheard: The psychology of consumption in poverty and development. Journal of Consumer Psychology 16 (4): 363–376.
De Dreu, C. K., Nijstad, B. A., & Baas, M. (2011). Behavioral activation links to creativity because of increased cognitive flexibility. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2(1), 72-80. Dictionary, O. E. (2004). Oxford English dictionary online. Mount Royal College Lib., Calgary, 14 Dugger, W. M., & Peach, J. T. (2015). Economic abundance: an introduction. Routledge.
Europa Nu (2015) Werkloosheid in de EU. (Accessed March 8, 2016), [available at http://www.europa-nu.nl/id/vhcyeqrbqtzf/werkloosheid_in_de_eu]
Fischhoff, Baruch, Roxana M. Gonzalez, Deborah A Small, and Jennifer S. Lerner (2003), “Judged Terror Risk and Proximity to the World Trade Center,” Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 26 (2/3), 137–51.
Gino, F., & Wiltermuth, S. S. (2014). Evil genius? How dishonesty can lead to greater creativity. Psychological science, 0956797614520714.
Goff, K. (1993). Creativity and life satisfaction in older adults. Educational Gerontology, 19, 241– 250. Guilford, J. P. (1967). The nature of human intelligence. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Hirsh, J. B., Galinsky, A. D., & Zhong, C. B. (2011). Drunk, powerful, and in the dark how general processes of disinhibition produce both prosocial and antisocial behavior. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(5), 415-427.
Jackson, T. (2004). A contemporary analysis of global luxury brands. International retail marketing, 155-169.
Kahle, L. R., Bearden, W. O., Netemeyer, R. G., Mobley, M. F., Bruner, G. C., & Hensel, P. J. (1994). Handbook of Marketing Scales: Multi-Item Measures for Marketing and Consumer Behavior Research.
Leliveld, M.C., & Hillemans, J. (2012) SPSS Guide: How-to , Tips, Tricks & Statistical Techniques. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Li YM, Li J, Chan DK-S and Zhang B (2016) When Love Meets Money: Priming the Possession of Money Influences Mating Strategies. Front. Psychol. 7:387.
Matthey, A. (2010). Less is more: the influence of aspirations and priming on well-being. Journal Of Cleaner Production, 18(6), 567-570.
Mayer, J.D., & Gaschke, Y.N. (1988). The experience and meta-experience of mood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55 (1), p. 102-111.
Mednick, S.A., & Mednick, M.T. (1967). Examiner’s manual, Remote Associates Test: College and adult forms 1 and 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Mehta, R., & Zhu, M. (2015). Creating When You Have Less: The Impact of Resource Scarcity on Product Use Creativity. Journal of Consumer Research, ucv051.
Nelissen, R. M., & Meijers, M. H. (2011). Social benefits of luxury brands as costly signals of wealth and status. Evolution and Human Behavior, 32(5), 343-355.
Norton, M. I., Rucker, D. D., & Lamberton, C. (Eds.). (2015). The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology. Cambridge University Press.
Ochse, R. (1990). Before the gates of excellence: The determinants of creative genius. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Potts, J., Hartley, J., Banks, J., Burgess, J., Cobcroft, R., Cunningham, S., & Montgomery, L. (2008). Consumer Co‐creation and Situated Creativity. Industry and Innovation, 15(5), 459-474. Radel, R., Davranche, K., Fournier, M., & Dietrich, A. (2015). The role of (dis) inhibition in creativity:
Decreased inhibition improves idea generation.Cognition, 134, 110-120.
Rossmann, E., & Fink, A. (2010). Do creative people use shorter associative pathways?. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(8), 891-895.
Rostow, W. W. (1990). The stages of economic growth: A non-communist manifesto. Cambridge university press.
Roux, C., Goldsmith, K., & Bonezzi, A. (2015). On the Psychology of Scarcity: When Reminders of Resource Scarcity Promote Selfish (and Generous) Behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, ucv048.
Schoen, J. L., Bowler, J. L., & Schilpzand, M. C. (2016). Conditional Reasoning Test for Creative Personality Rationale, Theoretical Development, and Validation. Journal of Management, 0149206315618012.
Shah, 4.K., Mullainathan, S., & Shafir, E. (2012). Some consequences of having too little. Science, In Norton, M. I., Rucker, D. D., & Lamberton, C. (Eds.). (2015). The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology. Cambridge University Press.
Spear, L. P. (2000). The adolescent brain and age-related behavioral manifestations. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 24(4), 417-463.
Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1999). The concept of creativity: Prospects and paradigms. Handbook of creativity, 1, 3-15.
Zhu, M., & Ratner, R. K. (2015). Scarcity polarizes preferences: The impact on choice among multiple items in a product class. Journal of Marketing Research, 52(1), 13-26.
Appendix
Appendix 1: Screenshot priming task
This is a representation of what the respondents saw when joining the study. The survey was made in Qualtrics, a standard design of the University of Groningen was used.
Appendix 2: Introduction used in the survey
First of all, thank you for your participation in this survey! The study consists of a number of separate studies of linguistic relationships and the wording of texts, and is part of the research program of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Groningen.
The data will be treated confidentially and will be anonymously processed. Participation is completely voluntary and you can decide at any time to stop the investigation.
Appendix 3a: Priming with general abundance – Priming task
Remember a time in your life when you felt you had more than enough of anything, or that you had plentiful of something (e.g., money, time, food, etc.). Please take a moment to go back to this memory again and then describe in detail what you remember (use a minimum of 80 and maximum of 150 words).
Try as good as possible to remember the feelings and thoughts which went through your mind when you felt that you had more than enough of anything, or you had plenty of something (e.g., money, time, food, etc.) and describe these feelings and thoughts as detailed as possible. (Use a minimum of 80 and maximum of 150 words).
Appendix 3b: Control condition – Neutral priming task
Remember the last time you visited a supermarket. Please take a moment to go back to this memory again and then describe in detail what you remember.
Appendix 4: Creativity task - Remote Associates Test (Mednick & Mednick, 1967)
Look at the three words, and then find a fourth word which is related to these three. For example: cottage - Swiss - cake.
Answer: Cheese (because: cottage cheese - Swiss cheese - cheesecake
You do not have to work in a particular order and may also skip a set to go to a different set of three words. You have four minutes to find solutions where possible. If you have the feeling no solution can be found, then you can stop this section and click on 'Next'.
What word relates the three words? Answer
1. Skunk – Kings - Boiled Cabbage
2. Widow Bite Monkey Spider
3. Bass Complex Sleep Deep
4. Bald Screech Emblem Eagle
5. Blood Music Cheese Blue
6. Room Blood Salts Bath
7. Chamber Staff Box Music
8. Lick Sprinkle Mines Salt
9. Cherry Time Smell Blossom
10. Walker Main Sweeper Street
11. Wicked Bustle Slicker City
12. Chocolate Fortune Tin Cookie
13. Mouse Sharp Blue Cheese
14. Envy Golf Beans Green
15. Athletes Web Rabbit Foot
16. Board Magic Death Black
17. Lapse Vivid Elephant Memory
18. Puss Tart Spoiled Sour
19. Stop Petty Sneak Thief
20. Inch Deal Peg Square
21. Jump Kill Bliss Joy
22. Note Drive Chair High
23. Stalk Trainer King Lion
24. Shopping Washer Picture Window
25. Sore Shoulder Sweat Cold
Appendix 5: The BIS/BAS questionnaire from Carver and White (1994)
Enter the following statements on how these apply to you. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 4 (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = tend to disagree, 3 = tend to agree, 4 = strongly agree). Pay attention; There is no right or wrong answer here! The applicability of these statements varies per person.
1 2 3 4
A persons’ family is the most important thing in life
Even if something bad is about to happen to me, I rarely experience fear or nervousness.
I go out of my way to get things I want.
When I'm doing well at something I love to keep at it. I'm always willing to try something new if I think it will be fun. How I dress is important to me.
When I get something I want, I feel excited and energized. Criticism or scolding hurts me quite a bit.
When I want something I usually go all-out to get it.
I will often do things for no other reason than that they might be fun. It's hard for me to find the time to do things such as get a haircut. If I see a chance to get something I want I move on it right away.
I feel pretty worried or upset when I think or know somebody is angry at me. When I see an opportunity for something I like I get excited right away. I often act on the spur of the moment.
If I think something unpleasant is going to happen I usually get pretty "worked up." I often wonder why people act the way they do.
When good things happen to me, it affects me strongly.
I feel worried when I think I have done poorly at something important. I crave excitement and new sensations.
When I go after something I use a "no holds barred" approach. I have very few fears compared to my friends.
Appendix 6: Control question: BMIS(Mayer, & Gaschke, 1988).
Place a check mark on the scale below that indicates how well each adjective describes your present mood
Definitely do not
feel
Do not feel Slightly feel Definitely feel
Appendix 7: Demographic questionnaire
Finally, three general questions:
What is your gender? Male Female
What is your age? (in years)
Appendix 8: Control question: feeling of abundance
To what extent does the following statement applies to you?
Strongly agree Agree Somewhat Agree Neither agree or disagree Somewhat disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree
I feel that I sometimes have more than enough of everything
Appendix 9: Debriefing used in the survey
This is the end of the study!
We want to thank you again for your time and participation!
Once the results of the investigation are known, we will inform about it on by e-mail (if requested).
Do you want to receive the results of this study? Fill in here your email address. This will only be used for general feedback of the results.
