Choosing fusion: The effects of diversity ideologies on preference for culturally mixed experiences

•We explore when and why cultural fusion is welcomed.•We introduce that diversity ideologies matter in choices about cultural consumption.•Polyculturalism (the belief cultures interact with each other) predicts preference for consuming culturally mixed activities.•Polyculturalism increases preference for cultural mixing but not for other kinds of mixing.•Polyculturalism heightens one's preference for cultural fusion options, mediated by reduced cultural-purity concerns.

Globalization brings new cultural experiences and choices. Not only can people choose musical, culinary, and literary activities from other cultures, but they also can choose experiences that mix cultures together. We propose that preference for culturally mixed experiences hinges on preconceptions about cultural differences, or “diversity ideologies,” namely colorblindness, multiculturalism, and polyculturalism. In Study 1, we measured participants' endorsement of these three diversity ideologies and their preferences for culturally unitary versus mixed experiences. Results showed that polyculturalism (the mindset that cultures interact and contribute to each other) was positively associated with liking of culturally mixed experiences. In Study 2, we experimentally induced these three mindsets and found that the polycultural mindset heightened preferences for culturally mixed experiences. In Study 3, we replicated the positive effect of polyculturalism on preference for cultural mixes but not other kinds of mixes. Further, the effect of polyculturalism on people's choice of cultural mixes was mediated by purity concerns. We discuss implications for the psychology of globalization.