Action/inaction and regret: The moderating effect of closeness

Kahneman & Tversky ( 1982) demonstrated that actions are regretted more than inactions. It was conjectured that ( a) when action shared the same closeness as inaction but was neither to approach nor to retreat the desired outcome, the action was seen as futile so that it would evoke stronger reactions of regret; and ( b) closeness moderated the effect of action such that the effect was stronger when the acting target was closer to a good outcome, but weaker when the acting target was further away from a good outcome. A total of 5 regret-triggering problems were presented to 150 undergraduates who rated actors' intensity of regret. The findings support that closeness is the moderator of the increased regret effect.Kahneman & Tversky ( 1982) demonstrated that actions are regretted more than inactions. It was conjectured that ( a) when action shared the same closeness as inaction but was neither to approach nor to retreat the desired outcome, the action was seen as futile so that it would evoke stronger reactions of regret; and ( b) closeness moderated the effect of action such that the effect was stronger when the acting target was closer to a good outcome, but weaker when the acting target was further away from a good outcome. A total of 5 regret-triggering problems were presented to 150 undergraduates who rated actors' intensity of regret. The findings support that closeness is the moderator of the increased regret effect