The Preference for Unsolicited Advice: When We Have to Make a Trade-Off Between Self-interest and Morality

Huanmeng Tian, Xinni Wei, Feng Yu, Liying Xu

Journal of Business Ethics · 2025 · Volume 202 · Issue 1

Abstract

When faced with important decisions, individuals often receive advice from others. While previous research suggests that unsolicited advice is typically met with more negative reactions due to perceived threats to personal agency, little attention has been given to contexts in which individuals willingly relinquish their decision-making agency. This study explores decision-making in trade-off scenarios, where individuals must balance conflicting moral and self-interest goals. We hypothesize and find that unsolicited advice promoting self-serving choices facilitates the transfer of decision responsibility more effectively than solicited advice, leading to a preference for unsolicited advice. Furthermore, we show that this preference is moderated by the extent to which individuals emphasize moral identity symbolization and by the content of the advice. Our findings underscore the crucial role of the motivation to transfer decision responsibility in shaping responses to different forms of advice solicitation.

Keywords

Unsolicited advice, Trade-off, Moral decision-making

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