When Choosing Is Not Deciding: The Effect of Perceived Responsibility on Satisfaction

Prior research has found differences in satisfaction for choosers and nonchoosers of the same outcome. Two studies show that differentiability of the choice-set options moderates this effect. When options are more differentiated, choice enhances consumers' satisfaction with positive and dissatisfaction with negative outcomes; when options are less differentiated, choosers experience the same level of satisfaction as nonchoosers, regardless of...