Research on anthropomorphism in the 21st century: a bibliometric study

This paper scrutinises the extant research literature on anthropomorphism, the first-ever in the field, using the bibliometric technique. The study analyses 342 articles from Scopus and Web of Science databases published from 2000 till May 2022, using the bibliometric tool 'Biblioshiny' and network visualisations tool 'VOSviewer'. The paper presents descriptive analysis, science mapping and thematic evolution of the domain and attempts to identify the evolving research avenues. The results indicate that the domain has grown prodigiously over the period, thus justifying a synthesis of the research done so far. Nicholas Epley and Adam Waytz are the most prolific authors. The USA happens to be the most prolific country, but unfortunately, not much collaborative. Several themes that are pivotal, yet budding, are in the areas of marketing, for instance, advertising, purchase intention and brand love, warrant exploration. The study culminates in the suggestions for future researchers, theoretical and managerial implications.