1. That could have been the best night ever : developing knowledge on how regret influences alcohol beliefs and behaviour
- Author
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Crawford, Joel
- Abstract
Young adults (18 to 30 years old) often report drinking to excess and as a result frequently experience regrettable health and social consequences. Nonetheless the relationship between experiencing regrettable consequences and future consequences is unclear, with past studies showing that experiencing regret does not consistently lead to reduced consumption. In addition, it is unknown if young adults experience regret from missing opportunities to drink socially, and if so, how this experience informs future consumption. This thesis had four aims: (1) to investigate why experiencing regret consequences fails to consistently impact future consumption; (2) to explore if regret is experienced from missing opportunities to drink socially and if so, (3) to investigate how this experience of regret impacts drinking intentions and alcohol consumption and (4) to test if this experience can be manipulated. In Chapter one, theories of regret and health behaviour are discussed and applied to alcohol consumption. Chapter two outlines the methods used in the thesis. Chapter three reports the results of a qualitative study, the results of which suggest that regret fails to influence risk perceptions of alcohol and future drinking decisions, as post-consumption regrets are an expected part of a drinking episode, hence they do not readily influence future drinking plans or consumption. In addition chapter one also suggests that regret is experienced from missing opportunities to drink socially, labelled as the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO). Chapter four sought to explore experiences of FoMO within a further qualitative study. Results indicated FoMO is underpinned by the perception of missing out on social benefits, resulting in negative states such as worry and anxiety. Coping behaviours to manage these states are discussed. In Chapter five presents results of an ecological momentary assessment study that demonstrated FoMO is associated with intentions to drink and alcohol consumption in ecologically valid settings. Chapter six presents an experimental manipulation of FoMO; results suggest FoMO can be differentiated from other forms of regret and that it is most keenly felt when missing opportunities for social gains in alcohol contexts. Chapter 7 draws together findings from across the thesis and makes suggestions for future research in this area. Overall, thesis findings highlight how and why regret fails to impact future decision-making with regard to alcohol consumption, presents novel findings on how FoMO is related to consumption and drinking intentions and shows that FoMO fluctuates over time and can be experimentally manipulated.
- Published
- 2023
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