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Distinguishing gains from non-losses and losses from non-gains: A regulatory focus perspective on hedonic intensity (2000)
| Venue: | Journal of Experimental Social Psychology |
| Citations: | 49 - 5 self |
BibTeX
@ARTICLE{Idson00distinguishinggains,
author = {Lorraine Chen Idson and Nira Liberman and E. Tory Higgins},
title = {Distinguishing gains from non-losses and losses from non-gains: A regulatory focus perspective on hedonic intensity},
journal = {Journal of Experimental Social Psychology},
year = {2000},
pages = {252--274}
}
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Abstract
We find that the pleasure of a gain is generally greater than the pleasure of a nonloss and that the pain of a loss is generally greater than the pain of a nongain. These patterns were found when participants reported both how they would feel if these outcomes were to happen (Studies 1 and 2) and how they actually felt when they happened (Study 3). Our results also suggest that it is stronger cheerfulness (rather than quiescence) that underlies the greater pleasure of a gain and stronger agitation (rather than dejection) that underlies the greater aversiveness of a loss. This set of findings is predicted by our regulatory focus conceptualization of how gain (promotion success) and nongain (promotion failure) versus nonloss (prevention success) and loss (prevention failure) differ in whether they are experienced in relation to a maximal goal or a minimal goal, respectively. Implications for models of emotional experiences and prospect theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979) are discussed. © 2000 Academic Press There is considerable interest, especially in the area of decision making, in the intensity of people’s reactions to gains versus losses. Studies have shown that losses generally loom larger than corresponding gains; i.e., losses are experienced more strongly than gains of the same objective magnitude (for a review, see Fishburn & Kochenberger, 1979; see also Galanter & Pliner, 1974). Loss aversion is, in fact, one of the central postulates of Kahneman and Tversky’s (1979) influential prospect theory. They propose that the value function is steeper for losses than for gains, so that the subjective experience of pain from a loss of X is greater than the experience of pleasure from a gain of X. Regulatory focus theory (see Higgins, 1997, 1998) offers a novel perspective
Keyphrases
hedonic intensity regulatory focus perspective considerable interest central postulate decision making value function emotional experience minimal goal gain versus loss regulatory focus conceptualization fishburn kochenberger versus nonloss prevention failure promotion success loss aversion influential prospect theory maximal goal academic press prevention success promotion failure subjective experience people reaction regulatory focus theory novel perspective objective magnitude galanter pliner kahneman tversky prospect theory
