The Paradox of Positivity: How Overly Positive Responses by Hosts Can Backfire on Peer-to-Peer Rental Platforms

Abstract

Effective strategies for managerial responses to guest reviews on peer-to-peer rental platforms remain undefined. This study utilizes symbolic interaction theory to explain the effect of hosts’ response positivity on guests’ review-posting intention. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining econometric modeling with experiment, to empirically examine the effects of response positivity and the underlying mechanism. The econometric findings indicate a “positivity paradox” in that overly positive responses reduce review-posting intention. This reduction is more pronounced for hosts who have made fewer responses to reviews and those without “Superhost” status. The results of the experiment reveal that this effect is largely driven by guests’ perceptions of the hosts’ authenticity, with overly positive responses often being interpreted as inauthentic. Our findings provide both theoretical and practical implications for stakeholders on peer-to-peer rental platforms. (Also available in Chinese)