Money already spent can pull a decision away from what happens next.
Behavioral Psychology.
The shortcuts and blind spots that shape how we see the world.
18 live experiment · 2 plannedAn initial number can keep pulling an estimate toward itself.
Tests that agree with a theory may leave its strongest rivals untouched.
An immediate reward can outweigh a larger future one—and reverse an earlier plan.
Memory fades, and the timing of review changes what remains available later.
Local preferences can produce a larger pattern that nobody explicitly chose.
A shared convention can help people choose the same place without talking.
An offer can be profitable and still be rejected.
Known odds and unknown odds can feel different even when their midpoint matches.
People can follow earlier actions even when their own clue disagrees.
The first person can grow a shared pie but cannot force a fair return.
A streak can feel like it makes the opposite result due, even when trials are independent.
Equivalent outcomes can feel different when described as gains or losses.
Owning an item can change the price at which someone is willing to give it up.
An inferior third option can change how two original options are compared.
A remembered experience may emphasize its strongest moment and its ending.
A project can take longer than the inside-view estimate suggests.
A convincing story can make us forget how rare something was to begin with.
The stories we can see may hide the evidence we need most.
Losing something can feel larger than gaining the very same thing.