@article{01HDJYYTX9M0FN78CQYFS8SNS9,
  abstract     = {{Introduction: Recent research suggests that people who make decisions in a
foreign language (FL) tend to be less emotionally affected and hence more utilitarian than
in their native language (NL) (e.g. Costa, Vives, & Corey, 2017). One of the possible
explanations for this effect involves the concept of emotional attenuation. Hence, the
current study employed five personal dilemmas with varying levels of emotionality, under
the hypothesis that the FL effect would disappear in highly emotional dilemmas, as these
might evoke a maximal and therefore similar emotional response in the FL and NL.
Furthermore, we included both second (L2) and third (L3) language conditions. Method:
557 native speakers of Dutch with English and French as their L2 or L3 were considered
for the analysis. From each participant, proficiency measures in different languages were
gathered. All participants were randomly assigned to one of five dilemmas either in Dutch,
French or English, for which they were offered a choice between a utilitarian and a
deontological response. Results: Our results showed the FL effect was present and
strongest in the least emotional dilemmas and absent in the most emotional ones. The effect
was however not more or less prominent in the less proficient third language. Discussion:
The current results support the hypothesis that FL processing leads to emotional attenuation
(up to a certain level) and brings about less deontological reasoning. However, we also
propose a role of response agreement.}},
  author       = {{Woumans, Evy and Planckaert, Niels and Duyck, Wouter}},
  issn         = {{1367-0069}},
  journal      = {{INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BILINGUALISM}},
  keywords     = {{decision-making,moral judgment,bilingualism,foreign language effect,response agreement}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1--33}},
  title        = {{Choosing is losing : emotional attenuation in foreign language decision-making}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}