How autonomy makes an experience pleasurable: The roles of risk perception and personal control

Abstract

This research challenges the notion that autonomy is beneficial for consumers in every situation. Specifically, this research demonstrates across two experiments and one field study that autonomy can lead to pleasure only when risk is low. Importantly, these studies also identify personal control as a mechanism that explains why autonomy makes the consumption experience more or less pleasurable, depending on risk perceptions. In Study 1, we demonstrate that perceived risk moderates the effect that autonomy may have on making the experience pleasurable, with a lack of risk making autonomy increase personal control. Study 2 replicates this moderating effect of risk in a field study. To test if the effects replicate using another type of perceived risk, Study 3 manipulates social risk and replicates its moderating effect on the relationship between autonomy and personal control on the pleasure observed in Studies 1 and 2. Collectively, this research draws attention to the need to consider risk when making consumers autonomous, and it offers novel contributions to the work on consumer autonomy.