I think this behavior is adaptive as it seems like part of our learning algorithm. In particular the feeling awful is a motivator to think about what information you should seek out in future similar situations that you didn't this time. That this adaptation continues to execute even when there actually is no way to get the information is another cognitive cost shortcut bug.

Thanks. This little observation makes a lot of sense, and explains aspects of my behaviour that I really didn't have a good explanation for. In particular, I've been trying to grow a small business for a couple of years now, and akrasia has been very difficult to fight at times. The correlation between effort and reward is virtually non-existent except over a multi-month period, and the constant second guessing can easily lead to paralysis.

Did I take the most optimal approach? Should I have done something different? I feel bad about it, but there just isn't any way to obtain the necessary data in a timely fashion. This shouldn't cause akrasia, but it does.