Feeling Younger, Choosing Complexity: How Subjective Age Influences Older Consumers' Preference for Visual Complexity

Abstract

ABSTRACT As population aging accelerates worldwide, older consumers are emerging as an increasingly important consumer segment. However, age stereotypes suggest that, as people grow older, they become increasingly conservative and prefer simplicity. This study challenges this view by examining whether and how feeling younger shapes older consumers' preferences for visual complexity. Building on self‐concept consistency theory, this research develops a theoretical framework and tests it across four experiments involving a total of 793 participants. The findings show that older consumers who feel younger than their chronological age show a stronger preference for visual complexity. This effect is replicated across visual‐design and product‐choice contexts, is driven by a heightened need for arousal, and is attenuated when elderly identity is perceived as desirable rather than undesirable. These findings extend self‐concept consistency theory to older consumers' aesthetic decision‐making and offer practical implications for developing inclusive design strategies in aging markets.

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