Cultural Effects of Social Exclusion on Conspicuous Consumption and Charitable Helping

Consumer responses to social exclusion depend on which needs are threatened, but there are cultural differences in exclusion effects on needs-threats. For Koreans (Americans), being rejected (ignored) increases conspicuous consumption, whereas being ignored (rejected) increases helping. These differences result because explicit (being rejected) vs. implicit (being ignored) exclusion threatens efficacy (power) vs. relational (self-esteem) needs in opposite ways for Koreans and Americans. In turn, the culturally opposing needs-threats are mediated by differences in communication norms: Americans value being direct and explicit in communication (low-context cultures), whereas Koreans value being indirect and implicit in communication (high-context cultures).