Articles About Influence and Persuasion Science and Practice
Influence At Work
Choices, Choices, Choices………
By Noah Goldstein, Ph.D.
Excerpts:
According to a series of hot-off-the-press studies conducted by researchers Aner Sela, Jonah Berger, and Wendy Liu, one major factor that determines whether people will choose pleasure over practicality is the number of choices that people are offered.
Regular readers of this column will be familiar with this topic; in the past, we’ve pointed to a great deal of research showing that offering too many choices can take away people’s motivation to make any choice at all. But we can’t always choose not to choose, which is why the researchers asked how the number of options influences decision-making when people actually have to make a choice?
Sela, Berger, and Liu argued that the more options a decision-maker has from which to choose, the harder the choice will be; and the harder the choice is, the more people make their decisions based on what choices are easiest to justify. In most cases, the easiest choice to justify is the one that favors function over form, frugality over luxury, and practicality over pleasure.
This research not only has implications for us as consumers, but it also has implications for us as persuaders. Whether it’s a client, a co-worker, a boss, or even a family member that you’re trying to persuade to your line of thinking, it’s important to consider which category your preferred option falls under. If the option you want them to pick is more on the pleasurable/luxurious side, a small number of choices will do. On the other hand, if your preferred option is more on the practical/frugal side, a larger number of choices would be more effective. Although you always want to be sure that the decision-maker has a good understanding of the options, no one ever said you couldn’t take sides with their Devil or their Angel every once in awhile.
Read full article: http://www.insideinfluence.com/article.html
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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
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