Abstract
Tice, Bratslavsky, and Baumeister report that emotional distress shifts priority toward feeling better now, and that this shift can override impulse control. The experiments are about distress and impulse, not about counters or next-day appointments.
Tice, D. M., Bratslavsky, E., & Baumeister, R. F. (2001). Emotional distress regulation takes precedence over impulse control: If you feel bad, do it! Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(1), 53–67. DOI
Key findings
- Distress first — When people are distressed, regulating that feeling takes priority over the control that would otherwise hold an impulse.
- Impulse yields — The paper’s claim is precedence, not a timetable. Repairing the feeling can win the minute. It does not say how long a later cost lasts.
Application
When relief is the only thing you can feel, name the impulse it is about to license. Pair with Friction cascade only for the vote. The queue that vote buys is not a result in this paper.