Strategic self-ignorance
Författare
Summary, in Swedish
We examine strategic self-ignorance—the use of ignorance as an excuse to
over-indulge in pleasurable activities that may be harmful to one’s future self. Our model shows that guilt aversion provides a behavioral rationale for present-biased agents to avoid information about negative future impacts of such activities. We then confront our model with data from an experiment using prepared, restaurant-style meals—a good that is transparent in immediate pleasure (taste) but non-transparent in future harm (calories). Our results support the notion that strategic self-ignorance matters: nearly three of five subjects (58%) chose to ignore free information on calorie content, leading at-risk subjects to consume significantly more calories. We also find evidence consistent with our model on the determinants of strategic self-ignorance.
over-indulge in pleasurable activities that may be harmful to one’s future self. Our model shows that guilt aversion provides a behavioral rationale for present-biased agents to avoid information about negative future impacts of such activities. We then confront our model with data from an experiment using prepared, restaurant-style meals—a good that is transparent in immediate pleasure (taste) but non-transparent in future harm (calories). Our results support the notion that strategic self-ignorance matters: nearly three of five subjects (58%) chose to ignore free information on calorie content, leading at-risk subjects to consume significantly more calories. We also find evidence consistent with our model on the determinants of strategic self-ignorance.
Publiceringsår
2016-04-15
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
117-136
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty
Volym
52
Issue
2
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Springer
Ämne
- Economics
Nyckelord
- Strategic ignorance
- Calorie information avoidance
- Guilt aversion
- Selfcontrol
- Strategic ignorance
- Calorie information avoidance
- Guilt aversion
- Self-control
- D03
- D81
- D83
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1573-0476