Choosing versus Rejecting in Intertemporal Choice
(A2026-133574)

AUTHORS

Tiantong Liu, University of Warwick; Sarah Wei, The University of Warwick; Daniel Read, University of Warwick; Isabel Ding, University of Warwick

ABSTRACT

We examine how decision framing (choice vs. rejection) shifts consumers’ intertemporal preferences. Four experiments reveals that rejection leads to preference attenuation compared to choice: when the larger later reward (LL) offers a smaller rate of return relative to the smaller sooner one (SS), people select SS more in choice than rejection, appearing more patient in rejection; when LL offers a larger rate of return, people select SS more in rejection than choice, appearing more patient in choice. It occurs because choice framing leads to disproportionate weighting of the relatively attractive attribute (waiting time avoided when the interest rate is low, and delayed payment when the interest rate is high), whereas rejection framing promotes more balanced consideration of both attributes. These findings advance understanding of decision framing in affecting intertemporal decisions and offer practical implications for designing choice architectures that influence patience.