Why Change Now? Cognitive Reappraisal Moderates the Relation between Anxiety and Resistance to Sunk Cost
Loading...
Links to Files
Author/Creator
Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2021-01-06
Type of Work
Department
Program
Citation of Original Publication
Lam, J.C., Yoon, K.L. Why Change Now? Cognitive Reappraisal Moderates the Relation between Anxiety and Resistance to Sunk Cost. J Psychopathol Behav Assess (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-020-09857-w
Rights
This item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
Access to this item will begin on 7/6/21
Access to this item will begin on 7/6/21
Subjects
Abstract
To minimize distress associated with choices with uncertain consequences, individuals with high levels of anxiety may continue with familiar choices rather than seek out novel choices. As a result, they might be more vulnerable to sunk cost fallacy, the inability to ignore unrecoverable prior investments when making decisions about the future. Considering that cognitive reappraisal may mitigate the association between anxiety and poor decision making, the present study examined the relations between cognitive reappraisal, anxiety, and resistance to sunk cost. To this end, 108 undergraduates completed questionnaires assessing their tendency to engage in cognitive reappraisal, severity of anxiety, and resistance to sunk cost. Participants’ tendency to engage in cognitive reappraisal moderated the relation between the severity of anxiety and resistance to sunk cost. However, in individuals who typically engaged in cognitive reappraisal, only lower levels of anxiety were associated with higher resistance to sunk cost. Individuals with high vs. low levels of anxiety might differ in how they reappraise negative situations, which can consequently affect resistance to sunk cost.