The Licensing Effect Revisited: How Virtuous Behavior Heightens the Pleasure Derived from Subsequent Hedonic Consumption

Engagement in virtuous behavior can subsequently increase preference for conflicting, hedonic consumption options (Fishbach and Dhar 2005; Khan and Dhar 2006). We conceptually replicate the effect of licensing in a real-behavior context, while extending this work by introducing a novel effect of licensing on the intensity of subsequent hedonic experience. Our study reveals that, following virtuous consumption behavior (i.e., eating a functional food), the experienced intensity of subsequent hedonic consumption (i.e., pleasurable taste) may be heightened. Furthermore, this effect of licensing upon hedonic consumption is contingent upon the pre-existing visceral state (i.e., hunger) of the consumer. Specifically, as visceral hunger increases, the enhancing effect of licensing upon hedonic experience is mitigated.