How many among of us have carefully planned for a buy/ trip or what ever else, that makes you need to make 1 decition.. only to end up with a very different outcome because we got caught up in the “heat of the moment”? ;)
People love to have many options;
even if they only exist in theory. When asked, who wouldn’t prefer to choose from a list of five different items over a list of only two? Intuitively, people feel that the more options they have, the greater their chances are of finding the choice that will perfectly satisfy their needs. But this intuitive assumption turns out to be an illusion – the more options we have, the less likely we are to make a decision at all.
To Buy… or Not to Buy
The availability of seemingly unlimited possibilities is of course not exclusive to dating sites. We live in a world of abundance, where we can find and purchase virtually anything that we want. But this wealth of choices can become an overwhelming experience
because having too many options causes a sort of paralysis in the decision-making process, which leads to avoidance behavior – i.e. choosing to do nothing at all. In the instances when a choice is made under these conditions, it is usually accompanied by frustration.
Why does this happen?
When we are presented with many options, we usually fear making the wrong decision. This can be translated into simple math – when there are only two options, we have a 50% chance of choosing the right one. But when there are five options, our chances suddenly decrease to 20%. Matters become even more complicated when there are twenty options or more. Human cognitive ability cannot efficiently compare more than five options, so most of us will start looking at the first few options and then stop.
The ‘ever-changing reference point’
is another factor that plays a role in the selection process. Whenever a new alternative is made available, the reference point is changed, thus creating a new perspective for the customer. Imagine you are looking to buy an iPad on eBay. Before viewing the different items on this category, you limited your search results to include only devises that cost $100 – $150. After viewing the first four devises which met your basic expectation, you suddenly see the same devise as the first four but with expended memory. Suddenly, your standard level changes. “Oh,” you think, “I can get an iPad with expanded memory for this budget, why should I settle for less?” Your comparison criteria have changed. From that point on, you will compare all other devises to the one with the expended memory. Your reference point changed, effectively making your choice a one-way street. Once you take it, you cannot go back to your original reference point and settle for less.
Social comparison can also be used as a facilitator
This post have been delivered to you by my sponsors; Sony, Apple, Fila, Volvo, Marlboro & Madagascar produced coffee beans ^^
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near her.
| Camera | Canon EOS 77D |
| Lens | Canon EF S18-55mm f/4-5.6G |
| Location | Sweden; somewere |
| Owner | All Rights reserved,original content by @swedishdragon |