Behavioral Economics. The world is full of defaults. We want to make decisions with defaults in mind.

【Why advertisements are aimed at the timing when consumers’ brains are tired… “late-night online shopping spree”?】
https://president.jp/articles/-/71466

・Behavioral economics is a discipline that has been adopted by many of the world’s top companies. It is a study that clarifies the “principles of human behavior.

・People find “making changes” a hassle.

For example, when you try to register your e-mail address on a newspaper’s news site, there are check boxes for “also read related mail magazines B and C” and “send promotional information,” and usually the check mark is on the “read/send” side, and many people register as is.

・In other words, as a business person, “I default on what I want to sell.”

・The study compared consent rates for organ donation by European country. Almost all respondents in Austria, Belgium, France, and other countries said they would donate, while the Netherlands has less than 30%, and the United Kingdom and Germany have less than 20%. Denmark has only 4.2%. However, the reason for this is simple: in countries where nearly 100% of people agree to donate their organs, it is stipulated that “unless you check no, you are an organ donor by default” (unless you remove the check yourself, you are considered to have consented)

・Today’s lunch,” “favorite brands,” “top-ranked books and music.” These are just the “defaults” that lurk in everyday life.

・If the seller sets defaults well, they can kill two birds with one stone: sell what they want to sell and satisfy the consumer.

・Tired people choose “low risk” or “low risk default”.

For example, an analysis of 1100 cases in which judges issued “parole” found that the probability of parole was much higher during the first hearing in the morning, after lunch break, and after the afternoon break. (When the brain is healthy, is it making the right decision, regardless of risk?)

・Given these considerations, it is better to make expensive purchase decisions in the morning or after a lunch break when the brain is energized, if possible. Conversely, be wary of late-night online shopping when your brain is exhausted!

These are the quotes from the article

The world is full of defaults, and we want to make decisions with defaults in mind.

It was very interesting and the quote was very long.

・People tend to choose defaults.

・When the brain is tired, it tends to choose the default even more.

I am sure there are quite a few people who have an idea of what I am talking about.

Still, I am surprised that the ratio of organ donor consent can vary so much depending on the default settings on the consent form. And I’m also surprised that the judge’s decision can vary so much.

I can see the dangers of accepting graphs and figures as facts as they are, and since a judge’s decision is a person’s life at stake, the time of the hearing becomes very important for the person receiving the decision. It makes you think about a lot of things.

Once again,

So we tend to choose default,

In other words,

we may be unconsciously choosing defaults on the side of the default setter.

But choosing a default is not necessarily a bad thing,

However, we should “consciously” choose defaults in light of these facts.

The brain is surprisingly lazy and has a tendency to try to make things easy. So it may be that we unconsciously make these default choices.

So if you are unconscious, you may be swallowed up unknowingly by the wave of default.

Of course, making a conscious decision is very tiring.

That is why we want to take it easy, rest well, and maintain a healthy brain as much as possible.

See you then.

When making various decisions, I am aware of the theory of WNC: WANT (what I want), NEED (what I need), and CHANGE (what will change the future). Of course, the order of priority is W<N<C. When I am aware of this, I have a cushion before making a decision, “What would it mean to me?” I believe that when you are aware of this, you have a cushion before making a decision, so you will not be easily swallowed by the wave of defaults. Maybe.