When Bad News is Good
44 Pages Posted: 23 Aug 2019
Date Written: January 16, 2019
Abstract
Six studies investigate when and why bad news is good. When facing a difficult decision (e.g., whether or not to have surgery), people may paradoxically feel better with — and even prefer — objectively worse news (e.g., “you have a severe injury”) versus objectively better news (e.g., “you have a moderate injury,” Studies 1, 2, 3A, 3B). This is because bad news often has the unique effect of guiding people’s actions (e.g., “you must have surgery”) — even when such actions are themselves undesirable and non-preferred (Pretest 1); as such, bad news can enable people to preemptively avoid difficult decisions and thus reduce decisional conflict (Study 4). Significantly, the benefit of bad news may introduce perverse incentives for decision-makers, which are both unanticipated by observers (Pretests 2-4) and which have a range of implications for downstream preferences and behaviors (Study 5).
Keywords: decision conflict, judgment and decision making, difficult decisions, medical decision making, uncertainty
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