Is It Really Love? A Comparative Investigation of the Emotional Nature of Brand and Interpersonal Love

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe use of interpersonal love theories is standard in brand love research. Yet no empirical evidence exists to confirm the equivalence of the emotional nature of these forms of love, which is required to justify the transfer of theories and measures from interpersonal to brand love settings. Building on dimensional emotional theories, this study compared the emotional nature of brand love against interpersonal love, interpersonal liking, and brand liking, using a mixed‐method approach. Qualitative Study 1 revealed emotional differences and similarities between the two love constructs; in particular, unlike interpersonal love, brand love was driven by rational benefits, such as product quality. Study 2 combined physiological and pictographic measures to show that brand love was less arousing than interpersonal love, though loved brands can be as arousing as close friends and induce more positive valence than this interpersonal relationship. According to dimensional emotional theories, interpersonal love and brand love thus differ, and researchers require prudence before transferring interpersonal love theories and scales directly to brand love research, without accounting for differences in the emotional nature of brand love and interpersonal love.