IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ordeca/v10y2013i2p135-151.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Determinants of Experienced Utility: Laws and Implications

Author

Listed:
  • Manel Baucells

    (RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California 90401; and Department of Economics and Business and BGSE, Universtat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Rakesh K. Sarin

    (Decisions, Operations and Technology Management Area, UCLA Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095)

Abstract

Satisfaction in experiencing the future depends on decisions made today. We consider six well-known psychological laws governing satisfaction. The laws capture habit formation and satiation. We show it is possible to formalize these laws by means of a utility model and to derive implications from the laws: wanting versus liking, crescendo, recharge periods, variety seeking, and craving. The discussion combines mathematical propositions, experimental findings in psychology, and time-honored wisdom. We discuss how the sixth law---projection bias---may lead to incorrect predictions of experienced utility and suboptimal life-balance choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Manel Baucells & Rakesh K. Sarin, 2013. "Determinants of Experienced Utility: Laws and Implications," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 10(2), pages 135-151, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ordeca:v:10:y:2013:i:2:p:135-151
    DOI: 10.1287/deca.2013.0270
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/deca.2013.0270
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/deca.2013.0270?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Kahneman & Peter P. Wakker & Rakesh Sarin, 1997. "Back to Bentham? Explorations of Experienced Utility," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(2), pages 375-406.
    2. Abel, Andrew B, 1990. "Asset Prices under Habit Formation and Catching Up with the Joneses," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(2), pages 38-42, May.
    3. Richard H. Thaler & Shlomo Benartzi, 2004. "Save More Tomorrow (TM): Using Behavioral Economics to Increase Employee Saving," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 112(S1), pages 164-187, February.
    4. Manel Baucells & Rakesh K. Sarin, 2007. "Satiation in Discounted Utility," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 55(1), pages 170-181, February.
    5. Loewenstein, George F & Sicherman, Nachum, 1991. "Do Workers Prefer Increasing Wage Profiles?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(1), pages 67-84, January.
    6. Botond Kőszegi & Matthew Rabin, 2006. "A Model of Reference-Dependent Preferences," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 121(4), pages 1133-1165.
    7. Tversky, Amos & Kahneman, Daniel, 1992. "Advances in Prospect Theory: Cumulative Representation of Uncertainty," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 5(4), pages 297-323, October.
    8. M. Keith Chen & Venkat Lakshminarayanan & Laurie R. Santos, 2006. "How Basic Are Behavioral Biases? Evidence from Capuchin Monkey Trading Behavior," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 114(3), pages 517-537, June.
    9. Ying He & James S. Dyer & John C. Butler, 2013. "On the Axiomatization of the Satiation and Habit Formation Utility Models," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 61(6), pages 1399-1410, December.
    10. Shane Frederick & George Loewenstein, 2008. "Conflicting motives in evaluations of sequences," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 221-235, December.
    11. Amos Tversky & Daniel Kahneman, 1991. "Loss Aversion in Riskless Choice: A Reference-Dependent Model," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 106(4), pages 1039-1061.
    12. Manel Baucells & Rakesh K. Sarin, 2010. "Predicting Utility Under Satiation and Habit Formation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(2), pages 286-301, February.
    13. repec:pri:cepsud:125krueger is not listed on IDEAS
    14. McAlister, Leigh, 1982. "A Dynamic Attribute Satiation Model of Variety-Seeking Behavior," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 9(2), pages 141-150, September.
    15. Kareen Rozen, 2010. "Foundations of Intrinsic Habit Formation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 78(4), pages 1341-1373, July.
    16. Daniel Kahneman & Alan B. Krueger & David Schkade & Norbert Schwarz & Arthur A. Stone, 2006. "Would You Be Happier If You Were Richer? A Focusing Illusion," Working Papers 77, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    17. Gilbert, Daniel T. & Gill, Michael J. & Wilson, Timothy D., 2002. "The Future Is Now: Temporal Correction in Affective Forecasting," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 430-444, May.
    18. Manel Baucells & Cristina Rata, 2006. "A Survey Study of Factors Influencing Risk-Taking Behavior in Real-World Decisions Under Uncertainty," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 3(3), pages 163-176, September.
    19. B. Curtis Eaton & Mukesh Eswaran, 2009. "Well‐being and Affluence in the Presence of a Veblen Good," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 119(539), pages 1088-1104, July.
    20. Constantinides, George M, 1990. "Habit Formation: A Resolution of the Equity Premium Puzzle," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(3), pages 519-543, June.
    21. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    22. Luc Wathieu, 1997. "Habits and the Anomalies in Intertemporal Choice," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 43(11), pages 1552-1563, November.
    23. Sundaresan, Suresh M, 1989. "Intertemporally Dependent Preferences and the Volatility of Consumption and Wealth," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 2(1), pages 73-89.
    24. George Loewenstein & Drazen Prelec, 1992. "Anomalies in Intertemporal Choice: Evidence and an Interpretation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(2), pages 573-597.
    25. Ratner, Rebecca K & Kahn, Barbara E & Kahneman, Daniel, 1999. "Choosing Less-Preferred Experiences for the Sake of Variety," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 26(1), pages 1-15, June.
    26. Daniel Kahneman & Alan B. Krueger & David Schkade & Norbert Schwarz & Arthur A. Stone, 2006. "Would You Be Happier If You Were Richer? A Focusing Illusion," Working Papers 77, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    27. Becker, Gary S & Murphy, Kevin M, 1988. "A Theory of Rational Addiction," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(4), pages 675-700, August.
    28. Stigler, George J & Becker, Gary S, 1977. "De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(2), pages 76-90, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Moris S. Strub & Duan Li, 2020. "Failing to Foresee the Updating of the Reference Point Leads to Time-Inconsistent Investment," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 68(1), pages 199-213, January.
    2. Chai, Junyi, 2021. "A model of ambition, aspiration and happiness," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 288(2), pages 692-702.
    3. Aparupa Das Gupta & Uday S. Karmarkar & Guillaume Roels, 2016. "The Design of Experiential Services with Acclimation and Memory Decay: Optimal Sequence and Duration," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(5), pages 1278-1296, May.
    4. Rakesh K. Sarin & L. Robin Keller, 2013. "From the Editors ---Group Decisions, Preference Elicitation, Experienced Utility, Survival Probabilities, and Portfolio Value of Information," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 10(2), pages 99-102, June.
    5. Junyi Chai, 2023. "A Behavioral Foundation of Satiation and Habituation," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jacobs Martin, 2016. "Accounting for Changing Tastes: Approaches to Explaining Unstable Individual Preferences," Review of Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 67(2), pages 121-183, August.
    2. Zhihua Li & Songfa Zhong, 2023. "Reference Dependence in Intertemporal Preference," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(1), pages 475-490, January.
    3. Junyi Chai, 2023. "A Behavioral Foundation of Satiation and Habituation," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, January.
    4. repec:cup:judgdm:v:16:y:2021:i:6:p:1324-1369 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Sudeep Bhatia & Graham Loomes & Daniel Read, 2021. "Establishing the laws of preferential choice behavior," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 16(6), pages 1324-1369, November.
    6. Bowman, David & Minehart, Deborah & Rabin, Matthew, 1999. "Loss aversion in a consumption-savings model," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 155-178, February.
    7. Manel Baucells & Rakesh K. Sarin, 2010. "Predicting Utility Under Satiation and Habit Formation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(2), pages 286-301, February.
    8. Manel Baucells & Silvia Bellezza, 2017. "Temporal Profiles of Instant Utility During Anticipation, Event, and Recall," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(3), pages 729-748, March.
    9. Manel Baucells & Lin Zhao, 2020. "Everything in Moderation: Foundations and Applications of the Satiation Model," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(12), pages 5701-5719, December.
    10. Mohammed Abdellaoui & Han Bleichrodt & Olivier l'Haridon & Corina Paraschiv, 2013. "Is There One Unifying Concept of Utility?An Experimental Comparison of Utility Under Risk and Utility Over Time," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(9), pages 2153-2169, September.
    11. Morhaim, Lisa & Ulus, Ayşegül Yıldız, 2023. "On history-dependent optimization models: A unified framework to analyze models with habits, satiation and optimal growth," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    12. Gerelt Tserenjigmid, 2020. "On the characterization of linear habit formation," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 70(1), pages 49-93, July.
    13. Chai, Junyi, 2021. "A model of ambition, aspiration and happiness," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 288(2), pages 692-702.
    14. Manel Baucells & Martin Weber & Frank Welfens, 2011. "Reference-Point Formation and Updating," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(3), pages 506-519, March.
    15. Francisco Gomes & Michael Haliassos & Tarun Ramadorai, 2021. "Household Finance," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 59(3), pages 919-1000, September.
    16. Aurélien Baillon & Han Bleichrodt & Vitalie Spinu, 2020. "Searching for the Reference Point," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(1), pages 93-112, January.
    17. Junyi Chai, 2023. "Subjective Happiness in Behavioral Contracts," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 2245-2260, October.
    18. Junyi Chai, 2021. "Measuring happiness under interpersonal comparison: An advanced theoretical framework and implications," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-19, December.
    19. Andrew E. Clark & Paul Frijters & Michael A. Shields, 2006. "Income and happiness: Evidence, explanations and economic implications," PSE Working Papers halshs-00590436, HAL.
    20. Aparupa Das Gupta & Uday S. Karmarkar & Guillaume Roels, 2016. "The Design of Experiential Services with Acclimation and Memory Decay: Optimal Sequence and Duration," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(5), pages 1278-1296, May.
    21. MatthewD. Rablen, 2008. "Relativity, Rank and the Utility of Income," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 118(528), pages 801-821, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ordeca:v:10:y:2013:i:2:p:135-151. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.