Researchers have identified a “hidden source of regret”: our tendency to overrate the choices we (almost) make

By Matthew Warren We often feel regret when we learn that an opportunity we rejected has turned out really well. Think about that investment you didn’t make that has now shot up in value, for example, or the person you never asked out who is now living a happily married life. But what happens when we never find out the outcome of that potential, rejected opportunity? If we don’t know what could have been, then it might seem like we shouldn’t feel much regret. But according to a new series of studies in Psychological Science by Daniel Feiler from Darmouth College and Johannes Müller-Trede from the University of Navarra, we sometimes feel more regret in these situations. Here’s the logic behind the team’s investigation. Say you have to make a decision where you are faced with many different options — ordering from a menu at a fancy restaurant, for instance. You whittle it down to two possibilities that look particularly appetising, the salmon and the steak, before ultimately deciding to go for the steak. This is going to be one of the best meals of your life, you think, mouth watering as you see the waiter bring out the dish. But when you bite into the steak, it is merely OK, and nothing to write home about. You have overestimated how good it will be, and now you feel let down. If only you had gone for the salmon, you think… But there’s a problem with this line of thinking: the salmon might have also been a disappointment. In fact, precisely be...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Decision making Emotion Source Type: blogs