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That friendly car is smiling at me: When products are perceived as people

11-12-2007 · EurekAlert!

A forthcoming study looks at how consumers anthropomorphize products, endowing a car or a pair of shoes with human characteristics and personalities. The researchers, from the University of Toronto and the University of Chicago, find that people are more likely to attribute human qualities or traits to inanimate objects if the product fits with their expectations of relevant human qualities -- and are also more likely to positively evaluate an anthropomorphized item.

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Keywords: friendly, car, smiling, products, perceived, people, product

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