Booth Research: Early Warnings About Goal Completion Found to Be a Buzzkill

New research from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business finds that the positive reaction one would have when succeeding is lessened if it doesn’t follow the expected course. Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science and marketing, and Nadav Klein, a doctoral student, published their paper “Feeling Good at the Right Time: Why People Value Predictability in Goal Attainment.” Their research found that when people learned that they had achieved something before their predetermined time, the experience was muted twice — when they learned early, and then when the goal was achieved.

The so-called “script” we write when we set our sights on an achievement goes as follows—set goal, work to achieve goal, attain goal and react accordingly — that’s the script

“We basically show that people want to feel good at the right time — that is, when a goal is achieved and not before then,” Fishbach said.

Four studies were held and found the following results:

• That people made script-consistent errors in recalling an attained goal.
• That people were happier when good news followed the predetermined script.
• That people value goals less if they learn early that they will be achieving them.
• That people had a mellowed reaction to achieving the goal if they were certain beforehand that the goal would be achieved.

“When people learn that a goal will be achieved before it actually is, they often try to suppress the positive emotion in order to feel it at the ‘right time,'” Fishbach said. “The result is that people don’t feel as happy when they get the news — because it’s not the right time — as well as when the goal is officially achieved — because by then it’s no longer ‘news.'”

Fishbach and Klein hypothesize that this muting occurs due to the fragility of positive emotion—after all it is much easier for a good mood to sour than it is to overcome a bad mood.

regions: Chicago

About the Author