2026 Theses Doctoral

The Body as a Machine or as a Temple: Philosophies of the Body and Wellness Consumption

Russman, Daniel J.

Wellness consumption has expanded significantly in recent decades, positioning the body as a focal point of everyday decision making and investment. Although demographic segmentation and psychological constructs offer valuable insights for understanding consumer well-being and behaviors, they do not directly address how individuals conceptualize the body itself and how these underlying beliefs guide decisions about care.

This dissertation proposes two primary philosophies of the body that provide a framework for understanding differences in wellness consumption. These philosophies are expressed through the metaphors of the body as a machine or as a temple, which encompass lay belief systems about the body’s makeup, purpose, and proper care. The dissertation examines how these philosophies are held by consumers and reflected in the marketplace, drawing on large-scale analyses of social media and text data as well as in-depth qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys conducted in the lab and the field.

Results demonstrate that companies strategically differentiate their branding and product offerings by representing the body either as a machine or as a temple. Consumers hold overlapping orientations toward the body as a machine and as a temple and vary in their approaches to care and in how they navigate the marketplace. The dissertation advances understanding of consumer wellness behavior and offers a conceptual foundation for future research and strategic positioning in the wellness marketplace.