Although engaging in pleasant experiences following successful performance may be hedonicallyrewarding, in the present research we proposed that individuals might forego pleasantexperiences when they have not yet completed a task. In Study 1 (N = 100), participantsreported the extent to which they would like to engage in pleasant experiences in a hypotheticalsituation where their performance outcome on a task (successful vs. average) and taskcompletion (task in progress vs. completed) were manipulated. In Study 2 (N = 115), participantswere in a real situation in which they achieved either a successful or average performanceoutcome. Task completion was manipulated (task in progress vs. completed) andmotivation to engage in a pleasant experience was assessed by a behavioral measure.Results of both studies provided support for our prediction by showing individuals to have alower desire to engage in pleasant experiences following successful, but not average, performancewhen the task was in progress than when it was complete. These findings are discussedin light of the underlying mechanisms and consequences of the tendency to foregopleasant experiences.
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