Quickie: Does Your Partner Always Want to Try Something Unusual?
It’s all about building an experience resume
Is your partner trying to get you interested in skydiving? Swimming with sharks? Eating cockroaches? You may think they’re just trying to annoy you, or they may have some kind of weird fetishes, but according to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, these strange experiences are attractive because they help to build our “experience resume.”
“Such gastronomic innovations include tequila-mustard sorbet, bacon-flavored ice cream, and chocolate truffles with vinegar and anchovies.”
Study authors Anat Keinan and Ran Kivetz explain the phenomenon this way: “A fascinating example is the increasing popularity of ice hotels, where visitors sleep on beds made of ice in frigid temperatures of 25° F. A similar trend is observed in consumers’ dining preferences: Many restaurants are trying to attract consumers by offering unusual entrees and desserts. Such gastronomic innovations include tequila-mustard sorbet, bacon-flavored ice cream, and chocolate truffles with vinegar and anchovies. Marketing trends suggest that many consumers are attracted to unusual and novel consumption experiences and choose vacations…
