This research uses the three choice mechanisms, i.e., cognitive, normative, and affective processes, to examine the impacts of two interrelated aspects regarding online reviews, i.e., positivity of online reviews and empathy reflected by online reviews, on online purchase intentions through two studies. Results reveal that positivity of online reviews is more strongly related to both cognitive and normative processing, whereas empathy reflected in response to searchers' problems is found to influence consumers' affective decision making, thus leading to the development of a two-path model regarding the psychological mechanisms about online reviews. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.