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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

Key Takeaways: What Is the Pseudocertainty Effect? The pseudocertainty effect is a cognitive bias where people often believe an outcome is guaranteed, even when it’s not, especially in situations with multiple stages of decision-making. We tend to overlook earlier uncertainties, honing in instead on just the final step, which we mistakenly treat as independent and assured. This concept was first put forward by behavioural economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two Nobel laureates, in their groundbreaking work on Prospect Theory. This theory explores how we assess risk and make decisions

Key Takeaways: What is Post-Purchase Rationalisation? Post-Purchase Rationalisation (PPR) is a common cognitive bias where we often find ourselves justifying a purchase after the deed is done, usually by playfully exaggerating the benefits or downplaying the flaws. So, when does this happen?  Sometimes referred to as choice-supportive bias or even buyer’s Stockholm Syndrome, PPR allows us to sidestep the uncomfortable feeling of admitting we might have made a less-than-wise decision. “Over 80% of consumers experience buyer’s remorse, yet most never return the product. Instead, they tend to rewrite the story