“Yes, I'm worth it!”: How romantic breakups influence self‐gifting propensity

Abstract

When do consumers indulge in self‐gifting? While extant research predominantly explores self‐gifting as a coping mechanism in postchallenging phases, this research suggests an additional dimension: self‐gifting as a form of self‐reward. Drawing from the idea of stress‐related growth, this paper focuses on consumer behavior following a romantic breakup, investigating self‐gifting as a reward mechanism. Results from five studies consistently demonstrate that the severity of a breakup significant influences consumers' self‐gifting propensity in both intrinsic‐ and extrinsic‐rewarding consumption, driven by their heightened perceived deservingness. These effects are attenuated when individuals engage in ruminative thoughts about their tumultuous (vs. harmonious) breakups. These findings explain the nuances of self‐gifting behavior following a romantic breakup by establishing a theoretical link between personal failures (e.g., romantic breakups) and a sense of deservingness, which influences consumer's self‐gifting propensity as a self‐reward.