In organisational psychology, the honeymoon-hangover effect describes the relationship between voluntary employee job change and job satisfaction. The first stage of the honeymoon hangover effect is referred to as “deterioration”, in which employees experience job dissatisfaction and leave their old job. Immediately after changing jobs, there is a sudden increase in job satisfaction at the new job (honeymoon effect). This increase in job satisfaction is followed by a slower decline in job satisfaction back to a baseline level (hangover effect).

The existence of the honeymoon-hangover effect is supported by some studies, but there is also conflicting evidence. Some researchers have proposed potential causes of the honeymoon hangover effect. There is also evidence to suggest that certain intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect the extent to which an individual experiences this effect.

The honeymoon-hangover effect was first hypothesized and discovered in 2005 by Wendy R. Boswell and co-authors. The authors’ speculation of the effect was based on prior findings. When an individual voluntarily changes jobs, their level of job satisfaction follows a curvilinear pattern. There is an initial peak after which satisfaction slowly declines. It can be separated into three main stages: deterioration, honeymoon, and hangover.

Deterioration refers to the decline in job satisfaction prior to leaving a job. Previous research established that job satisfaction was related to employee turnover. For example, one meta-analysis found that there was a correlation of -0.19 between job satisfaction and employee turnover. The authors also discussed how job satisfaction may mediate the relationship between job attributes and turnover. This prior research informed the first hypothesis (deterioration) in the seminal paper by Boswell and co-authors, which states:

“Turnover at a given point in time (t) is likely to be preceded by dissatisfaction at an earlier point in time (t − 1).”

The honeymoon effect refers to the increase in job satisfaction and work ability when starting a new job. Further examination of prior literature motivated the authors' second hypothesis, which they termed the honeymoon effect. They discussed previous studies which found evidence to support the idea that job satisfaction is likely to increase when starting a job. Specifically, some findings had shown that organizations “typically present their most favourable side to individuals during recruitment”. The honeymoon effect was termed as a period after the initial job induction where the relationship between the employer and employee was "temporally shielded from unfavorable outcomes in the job or organizational role". These findings led the authors to propose the second hypothesis which states:

“A voluntary job change will be met with an increase in job satisfaction, which we term the honeymoon effect.”

Some studies have also argued that irreversible and voluntary job transitions are likely to stimulate a desire to perceive the new job in a positive light. When engaging in sense-making of the new organisation, new employees use their previous job as a frame of reference to appraise their new job. They may further infer attractive aspects about their new job by “filling in the blanks related to missing information” related to good jobs. Boswell and co-authors noted in their seminal paper that new hires feel heightened job satisfaction when entering these novel circumstances, and termed this the honeymoon effect.