Are numbers perceived to have human-like characteristics, such as the ability to feel lonely? A study by HKUST’s Jaideep Sengupta and colleagues suggests that they are—and that consumers’ preferences are influenced by these supposed characteristics. This pioneering study, which for the first time links numerical cognition with consumer behavior, shows that the perceived “loneliness” of a number may influence a wide range of consumer preferences, from choosing meal deals to buying oil paintings.

Attempts to endow numbers with human qualities are far from new. As early as 1880, the mathematician Francis Galton described a correspondent’s lifelong experience of personifying numerals. Should this be regarded as an isolated example, the product of an individual’s vivid imagination? Or is the anthropomorphizing of numbers a more general human trait?

To address these questions, the researchers chose to consider loneliness as a possible attribute of particular numbers. Their contention was that divisible numbers seem more “connected” to other numbers, and thus less “lonely,” than numbers without factors. “Just as a person’s human connectors can be viewed as the different ways of reaching that person,” the researchers explain, “so a number’s divisors can be seen as a way of ‘reaching’ that number.”

This contention was supported by the results of three rigorous studies with participants accessed remotely via Amazon’s MTurk resource. The researchers found that numbers with factors, such as 15 (= 3 x 5) were generally perceived as less lonely than numbers without factors, such as 13.

Of the numbers 1 to 100, 1 was perceived as the most lonely, followed by 3. The numbers 22, 69, and 88 were perceived as among the least lonely, with larger numbers and those with more obvious and numerous factors regarded as more connected. Numbers with less obvious factors—such as 51—scored higher for loneliness. This suggests that “it is the perceived rather than the actual divisibility that drives loneliness beliefs,” say the researchers. These results contribute new theoretical insights into numerical cognition by revealing an association between a numerical property (divisibility) and a specific human trait.

Does this association affect consumer choice? Yes, say the researchers, arguing that because lonely people often seek connections, they will display a heightened preference for products associated with divisible numbers – because those are seen as more “connected”.This prediction was supported by the results of another four studies. In one study, half of the participants were asked to imagine going out for dinner alone—thus inducing a temporary feeling of loneliness —while the others imagined dining with friends. When then asked to choose between a set dinner priced at $19 (an indivisible number) and another at $21 (divisible), accompanied diners behaved as one might expect – expressing a clear preference for the cheaper deal ($19). However, in keeping with the researchers’ argument that lonely people seek connections, the lone diners were as likely to choose the $21 deal as the $19 deal – their preference for the cheaper deal being offset by the greater connection offered by the divisible number “21”In contrast,

In another parallel study, participants who imagined feeling socially excluded were subsequently more likely to choose a painting whose length and breadth were described in terms of divisible numbers (45 cm*63 cm) rather than indivisible numbers (43cm*67cm) . The findings of all four studies “reinforce confidence in the premise that numerical divisibility can affect consumer preferences,” the researchers say, adding that “our findings held for a wide variety of numbers, different product categories, and multiple product categories.”

As numbers often feature in “brand names, product series, attribute specifications and prices,” this pioneering study provides “actionable insights for marketing managers,” say the researchers. Its findings may have even broader resonance, given that “the state of loneliness carries implications of fundamental importance to human welfare.”