Anticipatory Guilt

Anticipatory Guilt

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

Guilt felt in advance while contemplating a hedonic choice.

What it is

In two studies, it accounted for people choosing hedonic options more often for another person than for themselves. It is drawn from work by Jingyi Lu, Zhengyan Liu and Zhe Fang (2016).

In effect

In the article on why treats make people feel guilty, the same treat looked easier to hand over than to take.

What it does not say

It was tested in two studies on choices made for oneself and for another person. It does not say that guilt explains every indulgent choice, and the studies do not tell us how large the effect is in everyday shopping.

Sources

  1. Lu, J., Liu, Z., & Fang, Z. (2016). Hedonic products for you, utilitarian products for me. Judgment and Decision Making, 11(4), 332-341.