An empirical investigation into the influence of Emotional Intelligence on Consumer Behavior

Two surveys used self-reported scales to investigate a) the main effects of Emotional Intelligence (henceforth EI) on impulsive and ethical consumption, and b) the mediating role of the self-regulatory focus (i.e. prevention/promotion). Survey 1 indicates that EI reduces impulsive consumption. Survey 2 suggests that EI reduces impulsive and elevates ethical consumption. It has also been shown that the prevention and the promotion focus mediate the relationship between EI and ethical consumption. The findings allow us to make an important theoretical and empirical contribution by presenting the first research that brings together these key features that have been under-researched.