Want to stick to your goals? think about “dissimilar” alternatives that you’ve forgone!

Past research demonstrates that thinking about forgone alternatives influences utility from a chosen option. Consumers obtain higher utility when choosing a virtue from a mixed set that contains both vices and virtues than choosing from a homogeneous set that only contains virtuous options (Dhar & Wertenbroch, 2012). Further, Sagi and Friedland (2007) suggest that when choosing from diverse alternatives, evaluations of a chosen option depend on the summed utility of all of the unchosen alternatives, not just the second-best alternative’s utility.