Deciding to exercise: the role of anticipated regret.
OBJECTIVE
Two studies tested (a) whether anticipated regret (AR) qualifies as an additional predictor of intentions to engage in a health-enhancing behaviour (exercise) after variables from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and past behaviour have been controlled, and (b) whether a manipulation that induces participants to focus on AR causes stronger intentions to exercise.


METHODS
Study 1 employed a cross-sectional questionnaire design; Study 2 employed a between-participants experimental design (AR focus vs. no AR focus).


METHODS
Participants (N = 385) completed standard, multi-item, reliable measures of TPB constructs and AR and also reported their past behaviour (Study 1). Participants in Study 2 (N = 70) completed measures of AR and intention; salience of AR was manipulated by means of item order.


RESULTS
Study 1 showed that even though TPB variables and past behaviour were reliable predictors of intention, and explained 51% of the variance, AR contributed a substantial increment in the variance (5%) even after these predictors had been taken into account. Study 2 showed that participants who were induced to focus on AR prior to intention formation had significantly stronger intentions to exercise compared to controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicate that AR predicts a health-enhancing behaviour (as well as the health-risk behaviours examined in previous research) and that effects of AR are independent of TPB variables and past behaviour. The findings also indicate that a simple and inexpensive manipulation of the salience of AR can be used to promote exercise intentions.
Abraham
Charles
C
Department of Psychology, University of Sussex, Flamer, Brighton, UK. s.c.s.abraham@sussex.ac.uk
Sheeran
Paschal
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D006113:United Kingdom