Splitting sensory experiences into smaller moments boosts enjoyment, research finds

People enjoy sensory experiences more when they are viewed as a collection of smaller experiences, rather than a single unified activity, finds new research from Aalto University School of Business and Tilburg University.

Dr. Ceren Şahin (Aalto), Dr. Anika Stuppy (Tilburg University) and Dr. Robert Smith (Tilburg University) call this multi-experience framing, and their research shows that more pleasure can be derived from changing the way an experience is mentally processed, without changing the actual experience.

For instance, music becomes more enjoyable when a listener thinks of it as an interplay of multiple instruments, rather than a cohesive song. Likewise, eating a meal is more pleasurable when the consumer focuses on tasting each ingredient.

Across seven studies, the researchers find that multi-experience framing consistently increases the amount of enjoyment people receive from pleasant sensory experiences, as this approach requires them to devote more attention.

Understanding an experience as a compilation of smaller pieces makes it seem more complex, encouraging consumers to sharpen their focus. This reduces the likelihood of becoming distracted or disengaged, and allows consumers to pick up on details they would have otherwise missed.

The researchers advise businesses and marketing professionals to use multi-experience framing in their product descriptions, whether on menus, in playlists and video previews, or in app introductions, to boost customer engagement.

Instead of constantly pushing for bigger and louder products, the findings suggest that businesses can create more memorable experiences for consumers – thereby earning brand loyalty – by changing the way they communicate, drawing consumer attention to the many individual factors that, together, make a product enjoyable.

“Small changes in how experiences are framed can shape how people engage with them. Multi-experience framing is an easy-to-implement intervention that can help people notice more and savour more, without changing the experience itself,” says Dr. Ceren Şahin.

“Consumers do not always need a new or upgraded experience to enjoy a moment more. When they are encouraged to approach an experience differently, they tend to enjoy the same experience and want to keep having that experience for a longer time,” says Dr. Anika Stuppy.

“Small pleasures are big business. People's lives are full of simple pleasures like songs and snacks, but they are thinking about them all wrong. If the companies who sell and describe these experiences make them seem more multifaceted, like simultaneously eating bread meat and cheese instead of eating a sandwich, people enjoy them more,” says Dr. Robert Smith.

The study has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research and is available here:
https://academic.oup.com/jcr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jcr...

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For more information, a copy of the research paper, or to speak with the researchers, contact Jamie Hose at BlueSky Education on jamie@bluesky-pr.com, or call +44 (0)1582 790 706.