Hedonic Consumption Pleasure

What it measures

Five semantic differential items capture the peak end of hedonic pleasure—joy, delight, ecstasy, and gratification—experienced in response to a product or consumption event.

Response format

7-point semantic differential (1=very little, 7=a lot)

Scale items

• very little pleasure / a lot of pleasure
• very little joy / a lot of joy
• very little delight / a lot of delight
• very little ecstasy / a lot of ecstasy
• very little gratification / a lot of gratification

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Appears original to Shiv and Nowlis (2004); used in Experiments 3 and 4 of Nowlis and Shiv (2005) with alphas .86–.88. Validated in a food-sampling context; the stem may need adaptation for non-food stimuli. Focuses on peak pleasure rather than general positive mood.

Citation

Nowlis, S. M., & Shiv, B. (2005). The influence of consumer distractions on the effectiveness of food-sampling programs. Journal of Marketing Research, 42(2), 157–168.

Keywords