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Anticipated guilt and going against one's self-interest
Xiaolu Zhang1, Marcel Zeelenberg1, Seger M Breugelmans1
1Department of Social Psychology.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|November 2, 2021
Summary
People avoid asking for lent money back due to anticipated guilt. This guilt lessens when more money is involved or the borrower is wealthy, showing guilt
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Lending money is common, but asking for repayment can be difficult.
- Anticipated guilt is a key psychological barrier to requesting repayment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of anticipated guilt in the reluctance to ask for lent money back.
- To explore factors influencing guilt and repayment willingness.
Main Methods:
- Six studies (Ntotal = 2988) across three countries were conducted.
- Participants' anticipated guilt, willingness to ask for repayment, and perceptions of borrower's financial status were assessed.
Main Results:
- A majority of participants reported avoiding repayment requests due to guilt.
- Higher anticipated guilt correlated with lower willingness to ask for repayment.
- Guilt's impact decreased with larger sums of money and when the borrower was perceived as wealthy.
- Anticipated harm mediated the effect of guilt.
Conclusions:
- Guilt significantly influences financial decision-making, often leading individuals to sacrifice self-interest.
- Guilt's social function is to protect relationships, even at a financial cost.
- Understanding guilt's role is crucial for interpersonal financial interactions.
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