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Sadder but wiser: The effects of emotional states on ambiguity attitudes

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  • Baillon, Aurélien
  • Koellinger, Philipp D.
  • Treffers, Theresa

Abstract

Many important decisions are made without precise information about the probabilities of the outcomes. In such situations, individual ambiguity attitudes influence decision making. The present study identifies emotions as a transient cause of ambiguity attitudes. We conducted two random-assignment, incentive-compatible laboratory experiments, varying subjects’ emotional states. We find that sadness induces choices that are closer to ambiguity-neutral attitudes compared with the joy, fear, and control groups, where decision makers deviate more from payoff-maximizing behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Baillon, Aurélien & Koellinger, Philipp D. & Treffers, Theresa, 2016. "Sadder but wiser: The effects of emotional states on ambiguity attitudes," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 67-82.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:53:y:2016:i:c:p:67-82
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2015.12.008
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Maffioletti & Michele Santoni, 2019. "Emotion and Knowledge in Decision Making under Uncertainty," Games, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-28, September.
    2. Armando N. Meier, 2019. "Emotions, Risk Attitudes, and Patience," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1041, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    3. Cavatorta, Elisa & Groom, Ben, 2020. "Does deterrence change preferences? Evidence from a natural experiment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    4. Nikhil Masters & Tim Lloyd & Chris Starmer, 2022. "Do emotional carryover effects carry over?," Discussion Papers 2022-16, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham.
    5. Lotito Gianna & Maffioletti Anna & Santoni Michele, 2023. "Testing Source Influence on Ambiguity Reaction: Preference and Insensitivity," Working papers 083, Department of Economics, Social Studies, Applied Mathematics and Statistics (Dipartimento di Scienze Economico-Sociali e Matematico-Statistiche), University of Torino.
    6. Rahmani, Djamel & Loureiro, Maria & Escobar, Cristina & Gil, José M., 2021. "How Emotions Affect Choices: The Case of Wine," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 314943, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ambiguity attitude; Emotion; Sadness; Experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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