Cuteness inspires men’s risk seeking but women’s risk aversion

Abstract This research examines how exposure to cuteness influences consumer risk preference. Intriguingly, while some work implies that cuteness may lead individuals to be more risk-seeking, other studies suggest the opposite (i.e., making individuals more risk-averse). To reconcile these seemingly contradictory predictions, this research integrates insights from previous research on cuteness and caring motivation to propose gender as a moderator. To support the authors’ theorizing, the results from four studies show that exposure to cuteness leads men to be more risk-seeking and women to be more risk-averse. We further demonstrate that the caring motivation triggered by cuteness is the underlying process for this effect. The implications of this work for several lines of research in the marketing literature and practice are discussed.