A review of the effects of anthropomorphic design on consumer emotions

In recent years, anthropomorphic design has received increasing attention in marketing and product design. By imbuing inanimate objects with anthropomorphic features in the form of visuals, language, and symbols, anthropomorphic design can trigger consumers' empathy and pleasure and then significantly influence their attitudes and behaviors. Previous studies have shown that anthropomorphic design not only affects consumers' emotional responses in a variety of scenarios but also reduces loneliness and negative emotions by triggering emotional connections and social bonds, thus enhancing overall well-being. However, the effects of anthropomorphic design are moderated by individual consumer differences and situational factors. Therefore, this research review summarizes the development of anthropomorphic design, the dimensions of the variables, and the relationships between the variables. It summarizes the mechanisms of anthropomorphic design's effects on consumer emotions. It also analyzes the main research trends, problems, and limitations in the existing literature. On this basis, the paper finally looks into the future research directions in this field and makes some suggestions for practitioners and researchers.