93 - People Think Choice Equals Control

Same Outcome, Different Choices

In an experiment involving rats, if they wanted food, they had to choose between different paths to get to it. There was a direct path, and another maze-like path with branches. Both paths would lead to the same food, so if the rats wanted food, they'd take the direct path. However, many of them preferred the other route. Similarly, in experiments with monkeys and pigeons, if offered to press a single button or multiple buttons to get food, the majority prefer pressing multiple buttons. And humans are very much the same. When given chips to use at a casino, people were told they could use them at a table with one roulette wheel, or another with two where they could choose. Despite the wheels being the same, people preferred the second table.   So what does this mean?

Choice = Control (sort of)

If people think they have a choice in a matter, then they feel like they have control of the situation. While this isn't necessarily true in a lot of cases. As stated in the previous point, having too many choices can make it harder to get what they want. But people still want choices to feel in control of the decision. Having control over the environment is a natural human desire; by having control, we increase our chances for survival.

Takeaways

People want choices to feel like they have control People won't really choose the fastest path to a destination or to complete a task If you give people choices and then take them away, they'll get unhappy. Think of product updates that improve methods for accomplishing tasks.