Not as Happy as I Thought I’d Be? Affective Misforecasting and Product Evaluations

We introduce the concept of affective misforecasting (AMF) and study its impact on product evaluations. Study 1 examines whether and when AMF affects evaluations, finding that AMF has an impact on evaluations when the affective experience is worse (but not when better) than forecasted. Study 2 tests a process model designed to understand how and why AMF influences evaluations. The extent of elaboration is shown to underlie the observed effects. The studies demonstrate the robustness of the findings by controlling for alternative factors, specifically experienced affect, expectancy disconfirmation, and actual performance, which might have an impact on these judgments.