当年轻人说“爱你老己”：情绪经济正在成形吗？

Core Concept - The article discusses the emergence of the "emotional economy," which encompasses various aspects such as "self-love economy," "companionship economy," and "anger economy," highlighting how emotions are increasingly activated and monetized in consumer behavior [2][30]. Group 1: Emotional Economy Overview - The emotional economy is defined as a new economic form where consumer purchases are driven by emotional value rather than just functional or price considerations [5][33]. - Emotional consumption is characterized by the pursuit of inner joy, comfort, recognition, or stress relief, emphasizing the experience of feeling over the physical product itself [5][33]. - The emotional economy includes three layers: emotions as commodities, the role of platforms in capturing and analyzing emotional data, and the shift of brands towards providing meaning and empathy [6][33][36]. Group 2: Case Study - Pop Mart - Pop Mart serves as a clear example of how the emotional economy operates, utilizing a blind box model that creates uncertainty and emotional anticipation, significantly enhancing purchase willingness [7][35]. - The business model of Pop Mart relies on a system that converts emotions into data, allowing for the adjustment of emotional supply based on consumer feedback [8][36]. - Pop Mart's strategy focuses on maintaining ongoing emotional connections with consumers rather than just completing sales, thus transforming emotions into a systematic economic resource [8][36]. Group 3: Market Trends and Growth - The emotional economy in China is rapidly evolving, with a significant portion of young consumers (over 40.1%) prioritizing emotional value and interest in their purchasing decisions [9][37]. - The market size of the emotional economy in China reached approximately 2.3 trillion yuan in 2024, with projections to exceed 4.5 trillion yuan by 2029 [9][37]. - Emotional experiences shared on social media contribute to the formation of a "sympathy network," which can be transformed into economic value [9][37]. Group 4: Key Aspects of Emotional Economy - The "self-love economy" emphasizes personal well-being and mental health expenditures, with services like massage and meditation becoming regular budget items [16][44]. - The "companionship economy" includes the growing pet economy, which reached nearly 300 billion yuan in 2025, and the increasing acceptance of online psychological services [19][47]. - The "anger economy" highlights how negative emotions are exploited for engagement on social media, with anger being a particularly effective driver of content sharing and interaction [22][23].