Does Positive Affect Buffer Against Dissatisfaction for Complex Decision Making?
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Research has demonstrated that positive affect enhances the objective quality (e.g. efficiency and accuracy) of complex decision making (see Isen, 2004, for a review). However, relatively little is known about the influence of positive affect on decision satisfaction. Related social psychological research on satisfaction suggests that thorough, deliberate decision-making may actually impair satisfaction for complex decisions (e.g. Wilson, Lisle, Schooler, Hodges, Klaaren, & LaFleur, 1993; Dijksterhuis & van Olden, 2006). The present study tested the hypothesis that positive affect would buffer against dissatisfaction for complex decisions. Seventy-nine undergraduate students, randomly assigned to receive a positive affect induction or not, completed a hypothetical decision using a decision matrix and completed a subsequent measures of satisfaction. Results failed to support the hypothesis. Limitations and potential follow-up studies are discussed.