If your goal were to spend more time with your family, what would you buy? A set of lawn darts or a time-saving new appliance? If you voted lawn darts, you are a “promotion-focused” consumer. If the appliance, a “prevention-focused” consumer. According to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research by Mehdi Mourali, Ulf B

ckenholt, and Michel Laroche, your focus could help advertisers market to you.

Promotion-focused consumers tend to have more positive outlooks and appreciate connections between products and advertising with more disparate elements, while prevention-focused consumers respond better to unambiguous, “buy this and free up time to spend with your kids” advertising.

In other words, this will help advertisers sucker you into buying more stuff. — SAM GLOVER

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