When Fear Meets Joy: Cultural Differences in the Impact of Decision Uncertainty on Fear of Better Options and Ditto Consumption.

This study examines how decision uncertainty shapes consumers' Fear of Better Options (FOBO), and subsequently is associated with ditto consumption, while assessing FOBO's mediating role and the moderating effects of emotional state (Fear of Missing Out, FOMO/Joy of Missing Out, JOMO) and cultural differences (China/Korea). Using survey data from 682 new energy vehicle consumers in China and Korea, structural equation modeling was applied to test the proposed framework. The results reveal that choice overload and price fluctuation significantly increase both FOBO and ditto consumption, while obsolescence risk does not show a significant direct effect. Notably, time pressure negatively influences FOBO but positively affects ditto consumption, suggesting a dual-path mechanism in decision-making under time constraints. FOBO partially mediates the effects of choice overload and price fluctuation on ditto consumption. Moreover, emotional state and cultural differences moderate these relationships: FOMO amplifies, whereas JOMO mitigates the transmission effect of FOBO. Chinese consumers display stronger overall effects compared with their Korean counterparts. This study expands upon uncertainty avoidance theory by incorporating FOBO into consumer decision-making models, providing insights into how decision uncertainty, along with cultural and emotional factors, can inform marketing strategies.