Estimation under the influence.
Even simple guesses are ruled by our emotions.
Professor Maurice Schweitzer of Wharton asked subjects to guess the weight of a person in a photograph, offering to pay them for more accurate estimates.
After initial estimates were recorded, subjects then watched one of two short movie clips, a nature show or a scene of a boy being bullied that reliably elicited anger in viewers.
Subjects were then provided the guesses of other participants and offered the opportunity to revise their estimates. Only 32% of nature show viewers ignored the (accurate) advice, whereas among “angry” viewers, 74% ignored the advice.
Conclusion: Emotion from one situation leaks into subsequent decisions, even though the emotion is completely irrelevant, leading to decision errors.