Suppose that you went out on two dates with someone from one of your classes. You were not crazy about the person, but you did not dislike the person either. You thought that you would just wait and see how things turned out. Surprisingly, however, the person sent you an e-mail after your second date and wrote: "I just don't think we have good chemistry, but it was nice meeting you! Sayonara!" All of a sudden, the person becomes much more attractive to you. You wonder what you did wrong, and you strategize about how to get another chance. You are most likely experiencing ____.
A) temporal discounting
B) reactance
C) the reciprocity bias
D) the omission bias

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario describes the reactance effect, which is the psychological reaction to losing freedom or opportunities. When we feel that we are losing something, we tend to want it more. In this case, the individual was not interested in pursuing a relationship with the person after two dates but felt a desire to continue after receiving a rejection. This is an example of reactance.

Suppose That You Went Out on Two Dates with Someone