title: Bad is freer than good: Positive-negative asymmetry in attributions of free will.
abstract: Recent findings support the idea that the belief in free will serves as the basis for moral responsibility, thus promoting the punishment of immoral agents. We theorized that free will extends beyond morality to serve as the basis for accountability and the capacity for change more broadly, not only for others but also for the self. Five experiments showed that people attributed higher freedom of will to negative than to positive valence, regardless of morality or intent, for both self and others. In recalling everyday life situations and in classical decision making paradigms, negative actions, negatives outcomes, and negative framing were attributed higher free will than positive ones. Free will attributions were mainly driven by action or outcome valence, but not intent. These findings show consistent support for the idea that free will underlies laypersons' sense-making for accountability and change under negative circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht 6200MD, The Netherlands. Electronic address: gilad.feldman@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Gilad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.affiliation: Department of Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clearwater Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: mnewong@ust.hk.
authors.forename: Kin Fai Ellick
authors.initials: KFE
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. Electronic address: baumeister@psy.fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Roy F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Baumeister
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Accountability; Action valence; Attributions; Free will; Outcome valence