Consumer Neoteny: An Evolutionary Perspective on Childlike Behavior in Consumer Society

Mathieu Alemany Oliver (1)

1 CERGAM - Centre d'Études et de Recherche en Gestion d'Aix-Marseille

This research explores childlike consumer behavior from an evolutionary perspective. More specifically, it uses the concept of neoteny to show that the retention of ancestors' juvenile characteristics is related to specific behaviors. The results of factor analyses conducted on a UK sample (n = 499) and a French sample (n = 292) 7 years later indicate four dimensions of childlike consumer behavior, namely, stimulus seeking, reality conflict, escapism, and control of aggression.

Keywords: evolutionary psychology; neoteny; paedomorphosis; consumer behavior; childlike behavior

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences; Business administration; Humanities and Social Sciences; Psychology

Mathieu Alemany Oliver. Consumer Neoteny: An Evolutionary Perspective on Childlike Behavior in Consumer Society. Evolutionary Psychology: an International Journal of Evolutionary Approaches to Psychology and Behavior, 2016, ⟨10.1177/1474704916661825⟩. ⟨hal-01466840⟩