Environmental Disorder Leads to Self-Regulatory Failure

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This paper examines the influence of environmental orderliness on consumers’ selfregulation. We propose that a disorganized environment threatens the individual’s sense of personal control. Because experiencing this control threat depletes resources, individuals exposed to a disorganized (vs. organized) environment are more likely to exhibit self-regulatory failure in subsequent tasks. The results from four studies provide support for this hypothesis. Further, they offer evidence of the underlying process by demonstrating that a perceived threat to control mediates the effect of environmental orderliness on self-regulation, and that providing individuals with an opportunity to recoup their resources mitigates this effect. This research has crucial practical implications concerning public health and consumer well-being.

Bouyon Chae - Sauder School of Business, university of British Columbia