Does one Step forward Seem Larger Than one Step Back? Evidence of a Progress Illusion in Goal Monitoring

While many theories emphasize goal monitoring as a critical step in successfully pursuing goals like saving money or losing weight, surprisingly little research investigates whether consumers accurately monitor their progress. We contribute to the literature by identifying a tendency for consumers to show a progress illusion in goal monitoring. Consumers perceive that goal-consistent behaviors, like saving $30 or resisting an unhealthy snack, help their progress more than equivalent goal-inconsistent behaviors, like spending $30 or eating an unhealthy snack, hurt it. Four experiments show this progress illusion in goal monitoring across a variety of goal domains including finance, exercise, healthy eating, and gambling.