Emotions prevent us from making our own choices
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Sometimes, without realizing it, a person makes a choice under the influence of people similar to him.
To this conclusion came the specialists of the Norwegian School of Business.
Every day people come before a choice, not knowing what decision will be right. That's why we often look for help on the side.
In addition to a close environment, which can advise the options for solving the problem of interest to us, based on our own experience, there is another "adviser" - the Internet. The vast expanses of the world wide web allow a person to get acquainted with the opinion of people about this or that product or services.
For example, before booking a hotel room, for sure, first of all we will read reviews of its guests on the forums and find out how much the evaluation of its guests is suitable for our requirements.
However, there is a big difference between the comments of users. After all, someone was resting in a hotel with children and was aimed at getting family services and entertainments, someone needed peace and quiet, but, for example, a company of young people was looking for entertainment that suited their age and needs.
This influence of someone else's opinion on us and examined in his study the candidate of philosophical sciences of the Norwegian Business School Ali Faraj Rad.
The scientist conducted a series of experiments to reveal the connection between our inclination to make decisions and the influence of people like us on it.
The participants of the experiment were asked to present that they need to book a room in the hotel and need to do this based on the feedback of the hotel guests.
Profiles of hotel guests were designed in such a way as to be as much as possible to the participants of testing and to differ from them as much as possible.
As it turned out, the "guinea pig" trusted more the opinion of people similar to themselves, rather than those who did not match them.
In the first experiment, one group of participants was asked to make a choice, guided by feelings and emotions, and the second group was based on a reasonable, logical approach to choosing a hotel.
The result: those who read reviews and draw conclusions based on their feelings, were inclined to the opinion of people similar to themselves, whereas those who were guided by logic, the similarity with the Internet advisers had no influence.
During the next experiment, two groups were suggested to submit that they go on a trip with different purposes: the first group rides just for rest, and the second group is on a working need.
Result: the group of "holidaymakers" was inclined to choose a hotel, trusting the opinion of people on the forums, but "business travelers" - they trusted their own opinion more.
Then one half of the subjects were asked to choose a hotel, considering that they will have an ambulance trip (somewhere in a week), and another group was informed that their "journey" will take place in a year.
Result: the participants who "prepared" for the trip in the near future, were exposed to someone else's opinion more. Based on this, the researchers concluded that our choice is more dependent on emotions, if it concerns the near future.
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