Sunk Costs

Separate an unrecoverable past from an open future.

Connected topics

A past investment and the prospect of the next interesting moment can both enter a decision to continue; they are different explanations.

Arkes & Blumer (1985) — The Psychology of Sunk Cost
University-hosted copy of the published paper; Experiment 2, printed pages 126–128, checked October 27, 2026. Theater-ticket use is not time spent watching a disappointing movie. No reanalysis of the data was performed.
Navarro & Fantino (2009) — The Sunk-Time Effect, An Exploration
Publisher abstract checked October 27, 2026: questionnaire and behavioral studies, including a personal-responsibility interaction. Individual task procedures and statistics were not verified from the full text.
Petrov et al. (2023) — Sunk Cost Effects for Time Versus Money
Registered replication and extensions using hypothetical choices. The publisher-hosted abstract and procedure were checked October 27, 2026; outcomes differ across tasks. No statistical reanalysis was performed.
Kazinka, MacDonald & Redish (2021) — Sensitivity to Sunk Costs Depends on Attention to the Delay
Waiting for short videos, with attention to waiting manipulated. Waiting is not the same activity as watching a disappointing feature film.