Letter to editor: mental health and neuroscientific impact of the blind box toy consumption

Abstract

Blind box toys are popular, but long-term addiction to such products can have negative impacts on mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and suicide risks. Previous researchers have emphasized that players experience happiness and look forward to the blind box toy they purchase. Unpredictable contents in a blind box trigger dopamine release, and when a dopamine rush can be addictive, it leads individuals to buy more to gain potentially rare or desirable items, resulting in financial losses, buyer’s remorse, and immersion in surprise and disappointment for the gambling-like physical products. What feelings are blind box consumers pursuing? Blind box collectables offer a more exciting experience than buying transparently packaged items, and they provide participants with the hedonic value when imagining what could be inside in the pre-opening phase. That is, blind box toys’ unknown attributes were quite attractive to consumers. Blind box toys are sold in opaque packaging which allows consumers to possess a sense of mystery, as the emotional value exceeds the utilitarian value, and derive enjoyment and satisfaction from them. From a consumer behavior perspective, being blind is perceived as uncertainty; positive emotions of surprise and feelings of winning are accompanied by curious consumers because they perceive themselves as lucky, estimating outcomes optimistically.