The habit of repeating past decisions alters people's preferences and makes them view familiar options as the best, even when more advantageous alternatives emerge, reports infohub.kz.
Researchers at Dresden University of Technology have studied the mechanisms behind everyday decision-making. The team, led by Professor Stefan Kibel and lead author Dr. Ben Wagner, analyzed nine new experiments and six previously published datasets involving more than 700 participants.
The scientists found that a simple tendency to repeat past actions has a powerful influence on behavior. Instead of thoroughly weighing the pros and cons of available options, the brain uses memories of previous choices as a quick mental shortcut.
As a result, regularly repeating an action changes the subjective value of objects or actions. Options that participants chose more often not only retained priority but were also rated as the highest quality. This helps explain irrational behavior in daily life, such as repeated purchases and habitual routines.
The findings, published in the journal Communications Psychology, offer new tools for more accurately describing human behavior in psychology and behavioral sciences.