Post-purchase dissonance
After a hard-to-reverse choice people feel doubt, and reduce it by seeking reassurance and rating their choice more highly.
Where it applies
Four of the eight page areas.
How to use it
Four ways to use it, and one to avoid.
- Use the confirmation page and email to restate why the choice was good.
- Say what happens next on the confirmation page and in the email.
- Send how-to content before delivery.
- Put the most effort into expensive, considered orders, where this matters most.
- Avoid: reassurance copy that misstates cancellation or return rights.
What the research found
The post-choice effect held up in a meta-analysis. Reassurance emails lack strong field evidence.
The effect survived a 2021 meta-analysis of 43 studies, though a 39-lab replication of a related paradigm failed.
The post-choice effect survived a 2021 meta-analysis of 43 studies (d = 0.40), though a 39-lab replication of a related dissonance paradigm failed in 2024. No strong field evidence that reassurance emails cut returns.
Key research
Four sources, each checked.
Last reviewed
Brehm (1956) Postdecision changes in the desirability of alternatives J. Abnormal & Social Psychology Read the source Sweeney, Hausknecht & Soutar (2000) Cognitive dissonance after purchase: A multidimensional scale Psychology & Marketing Read the source Enisman, Shpitzer & Kleiman (2021)Meta-analysis Choice changes preferences, not merely reflects them: A meta-analysis of the artifact-free free-choice paradigm J. Personality & Social Psychology Read the source Vaidis, Sleegers, van Leeuwen, DeMarree and colleagues (2024) A Multilab Replication of the Induced-Compliance Paradigm of Cognitive Dissonance Advances in Methods & Practices in Psychological Science Read the source
Before you use it · UK law
Reassurance copy must not misstate cancellation or return rights.
This is simply a pointer to check, not legal advice. Seek legal advice before you put this principle into action.