Effect of Social Influences and Psychological Factors on the Enjoyment Derived from Making a Prediction

Abstract

Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of uncertainty and revealed that it interacts with other moderators to alter human levels of enjoyment; however, research on the effects of social influence (associated with different levels of uncertainty) and the need of uniqueness on the enjoyment of a shared experience is lacking. This study investigated how exposure to others’ opinions affects people’s levels of enjoyment derived from making predictions. We hypothesized that individuals who can refer to others’ predictions before making predictions (low uncertainty) and who make correct predictions that differ from those of others would report high levels of enjoyment. Study 1 had a 3 (uncertainty: high vs. medium vs. low) × 2 (social influence: yes vs. no) between-subject design. In total, 362 subjects (age: 19–24 years) took part in the experiments, and data was analyzed through analysis of variance. In study 2, 248 participants (138 women and 110 men; average age: 21.5 years) took part. A 2 (uncertainty: high vs. low) × 2 (social influence: predicting first vs. viewing first) × 2 (uniqueness: low vs. high) between-subject design was employed. The effects of uncertainty degree, social influence, and the need for uniqueness on individuals’ enjoyment levels were examined. The main effect of social influence was significant. The reported enjoyment levels of participants under social influence condition were significantly higher than that of those not under the social influence condition. Moreover, under the condition of low uncertainty, the mean enjoyment level was significantly higher when social influence was present compared with when it was absent. The findings demonstrated a significant three-way interaction between uniqueness, social influence and uncertainty. Participants with high uniqueness who viewed others’ predictions first derived more enjoyment from low uncertainty than they did from high uncertainty. Our studies demonstrated the robust effects of presentation scenarios on enjoyment levels. We provided evidence that social influence can affect the enjoyment derived from event participation; this finding is consistent with those in the literature. We revealed a two-way interaction between social influence and degree of uncertainty. Additionally, we highlighted that the need for uniqueness had a significant effect on the enjoyment of social influences associated with uncertainty. Our studies have practical implications for gaming companies; marketing professionals can create scenarios involving social interaction for consumers who enjoy gambling. Hence, researchers should examine how others’ opinions influence the enjoyment derived from shared experiences.