Personality, Culture and the Pain of Payment: Cross-national Differences

This study examines how cultural background and personality traits influence the pain of payment (PoP) through a cross-cultural online shopping simulation conducted in Turkiye and Germany with 800 participants. Drawing on behavioral economics and mental accounting theory, the analysis employed PROCESS mediation and moderation models to explore psychological and cultural determinants of spending discomfort. Results indicate that personality traits significantly mediated the culture PoP relationship: Turkish participants exhibited higher conscientiousness and neuroticism, both linked to stronger payment sensitivity, while openness reduced PoP and extraversion heightened it. Payment method further moderated cultural effects, with cash increasing emotional pain particularly among Turkish consumers whereas card payments alleviated discomfort. Demographic variables such as age, gender, and income were nonsignificant, but remembered total payment consistently raised PoP, emphasizing subjective financial perception. Integrating cultural and personality perspectives, this study broadens the conceptual scope of PoP as a multidimensional construct shaped by sociocultural and psychological factors. Findings suggest that culturally and psychologically tailored interventions, such as payment salience or consumption feedback tools, may encourage mindful and sustainable spending behavior.