Trying but failing: the role of time and money in enhancing self-determination, increasing goal persistence, and reducing unhappiness

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether reflecting on the time invested, rather than the money spent, in attempting a goal can enhance consumers’ self-determination, encourage persistence and continue to motivate them through multiple attempts. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct three studies: two with Prolific participants and one with college students. Study 1 examines how focusing on time, relative to money, encourages goal persistence by indirectly strengthening self-determination. Study 2 investigates whether failing twice, instead of once, weakens the time/money difference observed in Study 1. Study 3 explores whether the time/money difference extends to emotional responses, such as the unhappiness typically felt by students after failing a test. Findings Mediation tests in Studies 1 and 2 show that focusing on time, rather than money, strengthens self-determination and goal persistence after one failure. However, two successive failures, instead of one, significantly weakens self-determination and persistence when the focus is on money, though not when time is emphasized. Moderation tests in Study 3 show that the expected time/money difference in reducing the unhappiness of failing a mandatory English test diminishes after two failures. Originality/value Theoretically, this research highlights self-determination as a key mediator in the relationship between time/money focus and goal persistence. Managerially, the findings suggest that DIY marketers can benefit from framing their communications around self-determination to maintain task engagement when consumers are at risk of abandoning their goals.