Want to stick to your goal? Think about dissimilar alternatives that you have foregone

We explore how the similarity of foregone alternatives impacts perceived goal achievement and subsequent decisions. Across different goal-conflict situations (saving vs. spending, donating vs. spending, healthy vs. tasty food), people perceive higher achievement toward their goal when they consider dissimilar foregone goal-inconsistent alternatives, rather than considering similar foregone alternatives. Considering dissimilar (vs. similar) foregone options impacts goal perceptions only when the focal goal is salient. The perception of goal achievement due to considering diverse foregone options makes people more likely to stick to the goal in their next choices, especially when making an immediate choice. Abstract taken from SCP conference program p.93 https://www.myscp.org/pdf/conference%20documents/SCP%202018%20Program_final.pdf