Abstract: Inaction inertia refers specifically to the tendency of a person who already has passed up a similar, more attractive opportunity to omit acting on a second, somewhat less desirable opportunity (even if it still represents a gain from one normal reference point). Firstly, the present work briefly introduced the concept, operational definition and research methods of inaction inertia. Secondly, the causes of inaction inertia were summarized into regret and valuation based on the former studies, and the relevant empirical researches were also displayed. Thirdly, the conditions of inducing inaction inertia and some application researches on marketing and stock market were discussed. Finally, the future study needs to emphasize the development of the research methods and exploring the causes of inaction inertia.

Key words: Inaction Inertia, decision making, experienced regret, anticipated regret, valuation