Who Is In Control of Our Happiness? How Small Reminders of Agency Can Lead People to Better Enjoy Their Life Experiences

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Date

2017

Authors

Dragelin, Alyssa Kathryn

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

People often do not enjoy their experiences as much as they should, leaving them unfulfilled and, ultimately, less happy than they could be. This is harmful to individuals because it means they are not living life to the fullest, and this is harmful to businesses because it means people do not return to unfulfilling experiences. This thesis suggests that people do not maximize the potential enjoyment of their experiences because they fail to recognize the things they could do to improve them. In the following research, I find that people expect to enjoy their experiences more when they are reminded of their sense of agency. Agency is the subjective awareness that the individual is in control of their actions and, subsequently, their outcomes. People can, therefore, enjoy their experiences more when they are aware of the decisions available to them, and businesses can help people enjoy their experiences more by sending people reminders of their agency through marketing efforts. This research includes several studies that support this hypothesis and a couple of suggestions that could help businesses best maximize their customer lifetime value.

Description

55 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Marketing and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Science, Spring 2017

Keywords

Agency, Happiness, Consumer behavior, Marketing, Experimental psychology, Experiences

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