What is an outcome of poor Affective Forecasting?

Poor affective forecasting leads to inaccurate expectations about how one will feel in future situations. Affective forecasting is the process by which individuals predict their future emotional states in response to various events or experiences. When this forecasting is inaccurate, it means people may misjudge the intensity or duration of their future feelings, leading to disappointment or unrealistic expectations about events.

For example, someone might predict that a promotion at work will bring them extreme happiness for a long period, but upon achieving the promotion, they may find that their happiness is much shorter-lived than anticipated. This miscalculation can affect decision-making and personal well-being, as individuals may pursue or avoid experiences based on their flawed emotional predictions.

In contrast, the other options, such as emotional stability, heightened awareness of emotional responses, or improved self-regulation, do not align with the implications of poor affective forecasting. Instead, these descriptions might suggest a more accurate understanding or management of emotions, which contradicts the notion of misjudging future emotional experiences.