In the relentless churn of micro-trends and algorithm-fueled hauls, the modern consumer is caught in a dizzying cycle of want, buy, discard, repeat. It’s a cycle that has left our closets overflowing and our landfills groaning. But what if the antidote to this rampant consumerism wasn’t another minimalist manifesto or a complex budgeting app, but something far more primal and profound? What if the key to curbing our fast fashion addiction could be found not in a store, but at the summit of a mountain or the edge of a vast, thundering waterfall?
A groundbreaking new study, published in the esteemed Journal of Business Research, offers compelling evidence for this very idea. Spearheaded by a team of marketing experts from the University of Auckland, including Associate Professor Yuri Seo and Divya Tewari, the research posits a powerful thesis: the experience of awe—that spine-tingling feeling of being in the presence of something vast and overwhelming—can fundamentally rewire our shopping habits. It inspires a powerful shift towards a more considered, sustainable mindset, neatly summarized by the researchers as a move to “buy less, buy premium.”
This isn't just wishful thinking. It’s a scientifically observed phenomenon that could have profound implications for the future of retail, marketing, and our personal relationship with the things we own.
The Psychology of Awe: Beyond the Wow Factor
We’ve all felt it. That moment when a star-filled night sky steals your breath, a sweeping cinematic landscape fills the screen, or a piece of music swells to a heart-stopping crescendo. That is awe. It’s more than simple surprise or happiness; it’s an emotion that makes us feel small in the best possible way, connecting us to something much larger than ourselves.
According to the study's co-author, Dr. Yuri Seo, this emotional experience has a fascinating side effect on our perception of time. “Awe can expand our sense of time and perspective,” he explains. In that moment of wonder, our frantic, minute-to-minute anxieties and fleeting desires seem to melt away. The pressing need for immediate gratification—the very engine of fast fashion—loses its grip.
Instead, our focus shifts. We become more future-oriented, more considerate of the long-term consequences of our actions. As Dr. Seo puts it, this shift “can translate into more mindful, sustainable consumption.” When you’re contemplating the sheer majesty of a glacier that has existed for millennia, the appeal of a $10 polyester top designed to be worn twice suddenly diminishes. Your perspective recalibrates from the transient to the enduring. You begin to value longevity, craftsmanship, and quality over sheer volume and novelty.
This psychological recalibration is the core of the study's findings. Awe doesn’t just make us feel good; it makes us think bigger and, as it turns out, shop smarter. It nudges us away from the disposable and towards the durable, encouraging the choice of one beautifully made, lasting item over a basketful of cheaper, ephemeral ones.
From Planet Earth to Premium Purchases: The Study Unpacked
To prove this compelling theory, the researchers conducted a series of four meticulously designed experiments with participants across New Zealand and the United States. One experiment, in particular, vividly illustrates how this emotional alchemy works in practice.
The researchers gathered 150 participants and divided them into three distinct groups. Each group was shown a different short video clip, engineered to elicit a specific emotional response:
- The Awe Group: This group watched an awe-inspiring montage from the BBC’s critically acclaimed documentary series, Planet Earth II. The clip was filled with spectacular, sweeping shots of majestic mountains, powerful waterfalls, and vast, untouched lakes.
- The Amusement Group: To provide a contrasting positive emotion, this group was shown a humorous segment from the BBC’s Walk on the Wild Side, featuring comical animal voiceovers.
- The Control Group: This group viewed a neutral video depicting the symbiotic relationship between goby fish and pistol shrimp—interesting, but intentionally devoid of strong emotional triggers.
The brilliance of the study's design lay in what happened next. Immediately after the viewing, participants were asked to complete a short writing task about a personal experience that evoked the same emotion as the video (awe, amusement, or neutrality). This clever step served to reinforce and deepen their emotional state. They then rated the intensity of their feelings.
Finally, they were presented with what was framed as a completely unrelated shopping exercise. This is where the true impact of awe was revealed. The participants who had been primed with the majestic scenes from Planet Earth II consistently demonstrated a preference for higher-quality, more durable—and typically more expensive—products over a larger quantity of cheaper alternatives. The feeling of awe had tangibly altered their consumer decision-making, validating the "buy less, buy premium" hypothesis in a controlled, clinical setting.
The 'Buy Less, Buy Premium' Revolution
The implications of this research are nothing short of a paradigm shift for how we understand consumer behavior. For years, the sustainable fashion movement has relied on appeals to logic, ethics, and guilt to change habits. We are told about the environmental cost of textile waste, the humanitarian crises in garment factories, and the carbon footprint of our online orders. While vital, this information can sometimes feel overwhelming and abstract.
What this study suggests is a more intuitive, emotionally resonant path forward. It suggests that the desire to consume more thoughtfully isn't something that has to be painfully learned, but can be instinctively felt. The "buy less, buy premium" philosophy is not about elitism or spending more for the sake of a brand name. It is a mindset rooted in a deeper appreciation for value and permanence.
It’s the choice to invest in a single, well-crafted wool coat that will last a decade, rather than buying a new, cheaply made jacket every winter. It’s opting for a timeless leather handbag over five trendy PVC alternatives that will crack and peel within a season. This is a quiet rebellion against the culture of disposability, and awe, it seems, is its unlikely catalyst.
By expanding our mental horizons, awe encourages us to see our purchases not as fleeting hits of dopamine, but as long-term investments in our own lives and, by extension, in the health of the planet. It aligns our personal choices with a broader, more sustainable perspective.
Can Marketing Harness Awe for Good?
Naturally, the study points out that these findings could be a powerful tool for marketing and education. It’s easy to envision a new wave of advertising that leverages this "wow factor" for positive change. Imagine sustainable brands moving away from sterile product shots and instead creating campaigns that immerse the viewer in the breathtaking natural world from which their raw materials are sourced.
A brand that uses organic cotton could showcase the vast, beautiful fields under a dramatic sky. A company committed to using recycled ocean plastics could feature stunning, powerful cinematography of the very oceans they are trying to protect. By evoking awe, they could emotionally connect consumers to their mission and simultaneously prime them to appreciate the quality and longevity of their products.
However, this presents a critical question for us as discerning consumers. Could this powerful psychological trigger be co-opted for greenwashing? Could a fast fashion giant simply splash some epic mountain scenery in an ad to lend a false halo of quality and sustainability to their mass-produced goods? The potential for manipulation is real, and it underscores the need for continued consumer vigilance.
The true promise of this research lies not in a new marketing gimmick, but in a deeper understanding of ourselves. It empowers us to recognize the moments that shift our perspective and to consciously lean into them.
The next time you feel the pull of an impulse purchase, the study offers a radical suggestion. The solution may not be to fight the urge, but to overwhelm it with a grander emotion. Step outside and look at the clouds. Watch a documentary about the cosmos. Visit an art gallery. Seek out a moment of awe. You may find that it not only enriches your spirit but also edits your shopping cart, leaving only what is truly valuable, beautiful, and built to last.
