Anthropomorphizing personal goals as dependent persons empowers consumer goal pursuit
通过三项研究（包括激励相容研究和超市实地研究）发现，将个人目标拟人化为需要照顾的人（如在健康应用中呈现）能显著增强目标追求（如选择健康零食），其机制是提升心理赋能感。
Abstract Psychological empowerment plays a crucial role in motivating individuals to pursue their goals. This research explores a unique method to empower consumers in their goal pursuit: anthropomorphizing goals as dependent persons in need of care. Through three studies, including an incentive‐compatible study and a field study conducted at a hypermarket, we demonstrate that viewing personal goals as dependent persons who require care and nurturance (e.g., presenting a goal as a dependent person in a health app) can significantly enhance goal pursuit (e.g., choosing healthy snacks) by boosting psychological empowerment. We find that this motivational boost does not occur when a goal is simply anthropomorphized as any person (Study 1), when it is depicted as a dependent object (Study 1), or when it is anthropomorphized as an independent person (Study 2). This research contributes to a deeper understanding of motivation in goal pursuit and offers practical implications for marketers. Specifically, by using marketing communications to frame goals as entities that require care, marketers can help individuals foster a more engaging and empowering relationship with their aspirations.