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Key Takeaways: What Is the Default Effect? The default effect describes our natural inclination to stick with the option that’s already been chosen for us when making a decision. Many people see these defaults as subtle recommendations, or perhaps they just go along with them to avoid overthinking things. “Example: Users are more likely to stay subscribed to a service if the subscription automatically renews (opt-out) than if they had to manually re-subscribe (opt-in). In fact, one study found that cancel rates dropped from 99.8% to 36.4% simply by changing

Key Takeaways: What is Distinction Bias? Distinction bias is the tendency we have to see differences between choices as much more pronounced when we assess them together (in joint evaluation) than when we consider each option separately (in separate evaluation). This concept was first formally introduced by researchers Christopher Hsee and Jiao Zhang. It serves to highlight how the context in which we make decisions can significantly influence our choices. Joint vs. Separate Evaluation For example, when you’re in a shop, you might find yourself comparing two smartphones side by

Key Takeaways: What Is the Illusory Truth Effect? The illusory truth effect, sometimes referred to as the illusion of truth or validity effect, refers to our tendency to accept repeated information as true, even when it’s false. This phenomenon is driven by something called processing fluency, which is essentially our brain’s inclination to favour information that feels easy to digest. When we encounter a message multiple times, we often don’t stop to think about its accuracy. Instead, the familiarity of the message makes it feel true. Research has shown that

Key Takeaways: What Is the Less-Is-Better Effect? The less-is-better effect highlights a quirk in our decision-making: people tend to prefer an objectively inferior option when it’s presented on its own, but they switch their preference to a better option when comparing both side by side. This idea was first put forward by behavioural scientist Christopher Hsee and has been backed by various consumer psychology studies. In Hsee’s original research, participants showed a greater willingness to pay for a 7-oz ice cream that overflowed from a 5-oz cup rather than an

Key Takeaways: What Is Third Person Effect? The Third Person Effect (TPE) is a psychological phenomenon that many of us encounter. It’s the tendency we have to believe that other people are swayed by media messages, like adverts, news articles, or political content, more than we are ourselves. In other words, we often think, “I’m not influenced, but everyone else probably is.” This concept was first proposed by W. Phillips Davison in 1983. He noticed that people usually overestimate how persuasive media is for others, while underestimating its effect on

Key Takeaways: What Is the Endowed Progress Effect? The Endowed Progress Effect highlights a captivating psychological insight: people are more likely to finish tasks when they believe they’ve already made some progress, even if that progress was simply given to them. This straightforward yet impactful motivator can affect our behaviour. When a goal feels as if it’s already in motion, we tend to invest more in seeing it through. You can see this principle at work in loyalty programmes that kick off with initial points, or onboarding checklists that show