The Influence of Emotional Cues and Anthropomorphism on Product Temperature Expectations

Throughout seven experiments (six pre-registered), we found that embodying a product with emotional content, by using emoji facial expressions, influences its expected temperature in online settings. A negative valence, low arousal expression on the receptacle of a hot chocolate beverage and hot coffee leads to a lower expected temperature than a positive valence, high arousal expression and a control without any expression. Moreover, a positive valence, high arousal expression on a cup of hot coffee leads to a higher expected temperature. The influence of the emoji expression is enhanced by higher anthropomorphism (i.e., making individuals focus on the emotions of the product). Our results suggest that these effects are driven by the product embodying the emotional connotation of the expressions and subsequently their respective associated temperatures. Our research adds to the literature on embodied cognition and consumer behavior and has applications related to sensory expectations and energy savings.