Buyer's Remorse

The phrase entered American English no later than 1946, appearing in the Los Angeles Daily News — predating its scientific explanation by over a decade. Leon Festinger provided the theoretical grounding in A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Stanford University Press, 1957): post-purchase regret arises because a made decision creates psychological tension when the unchosen alternative still holds appeal. Festinger's framework helped establish consumer psychology as a distinct research field.