{"id":79648,"date":"2026-02-18T02:04:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T07:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=79648"},"modified":"2026-02-18T02:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T07:04:21","slug":"sunk-guilt-fallacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/sunk-guilt-fallacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunk guilt fallacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In economics and planning, there is a thing called the\u00a0sunk cost fallacy<\/a>. It comes about when people continue with something that isn\u2019t working because they have put so much effort into it that they don\u2019t want to abandon it. Rather than cutting their losses, they continue because, in part, they can\u2019t let go of the time and effort that they have already invested. Their experience of the past limits their future choices.<\/p>\n

I feel like I suffer from a similar fallacy, which I think of as the \u2018sunk guilt fallacy\u2019. My past guilt limits what I can do in the future. For me, fear of letting people down is a powerful motivator. I want people to like me. If I promise to do something and I don\u2019t do it, I feel guilt. I\u2019m afraid that people will be disappointed in me. I feel like I\u2019ve let them down or that I\u2019ve let myself down. I feel guilty.<\/p>\n

At this point, I have two choices:<\/p>\n