Deeper affection, more consumptions: consumer decision-making among people with different levels of intimacy—evidence from fNIRS

Abstract Consumer decision-making varies according to an individual’s relationship with the recipient of the gift. This study used a mock purchase task to investigate consumer decision-making and its underlying neurological mechanisms when purchasing gifts of different prices for recipients with varying levels of intimacy. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to record neural activity during the task. Behavioral results found that the lover group had a much higher purchasing rate than the friend group, particularly when acquiring premium products. Analysis of the functional near-infrared spectroscopy data found that neural activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex decreased when items were discounted, with lower activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in lovers during the purchasing of premium products. Furthermore, we identified significant differences in functional connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex under different conditions. We compared the support vector machine algorithm and logistic regression, finding that logistic regression better predicts purchasing tendencies based on neuroactivation levels. In our view, a stronger emotional connection leads to a more rewarding experience for consumers when buying premium products. This study reveals the impact of intimate relationships on consumer decision-making and provides guidance for businesses in developing marketing strategies targeted at the lover’s market.