Growing Alone: How the Pursuit of Growth Encourages Solo Consumption
(A2026-134260)

AUTHORS

Ilayda Arslan, London Business School; Jonathan Berman, London Business School; Stephanie Chen, London Business School

ABSTRACT

Across three preregistered studies, we find that pursuing personal growth goals increases consumers’ preference for solo (vs. joint) engagement in activities relative to pursuing other common goals such as enjoyment and meaning. Consumers believe growth goals are better achieved through solo consumption across a diverse set of activities, and they are more likely to choose solo engagement when pursuing growth, both for experimenter-provided activities and for personally meaningful activities they indicate. Together, these findings identify a theoretically meaningful boundary condition to consumers’ general preference for shared experiences.