Interest in complex novelty

Abstract

Complex novelty like new technologies can be exciting in terms of promising possibilities, but people might also feel that they do not exactly grasp its meaning or purpose. We argue that to become interested in complex novelty, it is key that people have a sense that they can cope with it. In three experiments we showed that people who have relatively high coping potential are more interested in complex novelty than people who have relatively low coping potential. Specifically, interest in complex novel products and inventions increased after increasing product-specific understanding (Experiments 1 and 2) and after inducing a more general state in which people can tolerate complex novelty (Experiment 3). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.