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When opportunities backfire: Alternatives reduce perseverance and success in task completion

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  • Gneezy, Uri
  • Nelidov, Vadim
  • Offerman, Theo
  • van de Ven, Jeroen

Abstract

We consider an agent who needs to finish one task under a time constraint. Would she benefit from having several alternatives of which she only needs to complete one, or is it better not to have options? We conjecture that agents will be worse off when having several options. In our experiment, the control group receives a single task to work on, while the treated group has two optional tasks to choose from. We find that having two alternatives negatively affects performance. Even when the additional task is substantially easier than the original one, having more options does not help. We discuss potential mechanisms and present evidence showing that many managers do not anticipate the negative effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Gneezy, Uri & Nelidov, Vadim & Offerman, Theo & van de Ven, Jeroen, 2023. "When opportunities backfire: Alternatives reduce perseverance and success in task completion," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 304-324.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:208:y:2023:i:c:p:304-324
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2023.02.015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Task completion; Frustration; Experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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