More Rational or More Emotional Than Others? Lay Beliefs About Decision‐Making Strategies

Abstract

Research demonstrates that people utilize both reasoning and feeling in decision making and that both strategies can be advantageous. However, little is known about how people perceive their decision‐making relative to others. Despite research findings and popular appeals supporting the use of affective decision processes, across a series of studies, we find that individuals believe they rely more on reasoning, and less on feelings, than others. These effects are driven by the motivation to self‐enhance where, in most contexts, individuals believe the use of reasoning is superior, and self‐enhancing, compared to the use of feelings. Consistent with this mechanism, beliefs that one’s decisions are more rational than others’ are as follows: (a) stronger for those who exhibit greater beliefs in the superiority of reasoning (vs. feeling), (b) attenuated when the decision context precludes motivational thinking about the self or the self is affirmed, and (c) reversed when the use of feelings is perceived as more self‐enhancing. We demonstrate downstream consequences (e.g., decision delegation), rule out alternative explanations, and discuss practical implications of these lay beliefs.

Why is it so difficult to have productive conversations with people with different beliefs and ideologies? A psychological perspective

“…That is, it is important to remember that worldviews, ideologies, identities, and fears do not only innervate other people's beliefs, but our own beliefs as well. Thus, despite what we may wish to believe, it is not the case that people with beliefs that differ from ours are ignorant ideologues (Hartman et al, 2023), while we hold the beliefs that we do solely because they are rational and logical (Pronin et al, 2004;VanBergen et al, 2022). For example, as discussed, people who oppose abortion, welfare, gun control, and abolishing capital punishment may do so because of social identity needs (e.g., they identify as Republican) or because such policies support their worldviews (e.g., social dominance).…”

How do Australian female consumers exercise their decision-making power when making financial product decisions? The triad of financial market manipulation, rationality and emotions

“…Additionally, specific paths in the model (Path I and Path F) state that the current state of emotions and the emotional expectations associated with the outcomes of a decision are seen to influence each other respectively. Lastly, the model states that the conscious/non-conscious state of mind of a rational decision-maker is influenced by several irrational influences (such as current state of emotions, incidental emotions, personality traits) that tend to influence an individual's decision-making (Path D), which in turn also is related to Decisionmaking power of female consumers the expected outcomes of a decision (Path E) (Lemaire, 2022;Goodell et al, 2022;VanBergen et al, 2021;Zaleskiewicz and Traczyk, 2020;Wynes, 2021).…”

“…By doing so, customers with higher levels of self-efficacy may develop higher emotional competencies when making financial product purchase decision, allowing them to envision a brighter future for themselves (Basu, 2021). When financial products are emotionally tied to their future strategies, emotional attachments in financial product promotions and marketing will increase product retention and improve how female consumers use their decision-making powers (Aboulnasr and Tran, 2020; VanBergen et al ., 2021).…”

Dual Process Intuitions: Consumers’ Beliefs about Persuasion Processing Drive Morality of Marketing Communications

“…Second, we contribute to the literature on consumers' beliefs about their own decisionmaking (Hsee et al, 2015;VanBergen et al, 2022) by testing a new relationship between dual process theory and moral evaluation of persuasion. We suggest that consumers' own beliefs about persuasion processing play a crucial role in evaluating persuasion morality and, as a result, determining brand attitudes.…”

“…First, we contribute to research on morality in marketing (Campbell & Winterich, 2018;Grayson, 2014) by investigating how consumers make moral inferences about persuasion. Second, we contribute to research on lay beliefs about one's own decision-making (Hsee et al, 2015;VanBergen et al, 2022) by testing a new relationship between beliefs about information processing and morality of persuasion. Third, we examine how consumers' beliefs about the marketplace affect their attitudes and behaviors, contributing to research on lay theories about persuasion (Briñol et al, 2015;Friestad & Wright, 1995) and companies (Bhattacharjee et al, 2017;Bolton et al, 2003).…”