Several independent lines of research bear on the question of why individuals avoid decisions by postponing them, failing to act, or accepting the status quo. This review relates findings across several different disciplines and uncovers 4 decision avoidance effects that offer insight into this common but troubling behavior: choice deferral, status quo bias, omission bias, and inaction inertia. These findings are related by common antecedents and consequences in a rational-emotional model of the factors that predispose humans to do nothing. Prominent components of the model include cost-benefit calculations, anticipated regret, and selection difficulty. Other factors affecting decision avoidance through these key components, such as anticipatory negative emotions, decision strategies, counterfactual thinking, and preference uncertainty, are also discussed.

The experience of postponing and avoiding certain choices is universal, yet often appears to work against individuals' goals. Delays transform into lost opportunities, and adhering to the status quo is frequently unjustified given advantageous alternatives. Still, individuals persist in seeking default no-action, no-change options.

Decision avoidance deserves concentrated attention, yet it has not been studied in an integrated manner because it does not fit neatly into the current paradigms in clinical, cognitive, or social psychology. Yet, it is a common phenomenon with high personal and societal costs. Under conditions of high stress, this avoidance can become extreme. Take,...