How the exposure to a commodified experience may undermine its perceived comfort

Abstract

The role of commodification in different fields has been subject of several studies in the past. There is yet no evidence that the exposure to a commodified situation may undermine how comfortable people feel, in contrast to their perceived level of comfort in the same, non-commodified situation. Results suggest that a drop in comfort occurs when brands are used to commodify a meaningful experience. One possible explanation to this phenomenon could refer to the extrinsic motivation entailed by commodified experiences. In addition, evidence shows that this reduction is highly correlated with the level of affinity people have with brands and that it is presumably independent from their personality traits.