Psychology might just be a subject to study for some people, but there are many psychological effects in our everyday life that most of us know nothing about.
Psychologists study phenomena like perception, personality, emotion and interpersonal relationships. They also test psychological effects and conduct studies to prove them.
A couple of effects that have been proven are how your brain works when given choices and, conditioning someone into either liking or thinking about you when presented with a certain object, smell, or place.
Many of these psychological effects have an impact on your daily life.
Some of these effects are:
- The Paradox of Choice
When we're given multiple choices, no matter which one we choose, even if it is the best one, we're always going to feel a little unhappy or unexcited about it.
This is known as the "Paradox of Choice" - a book written by an American Psychologist named Barry Schwartz.
In the book, he talks about the stress put on people by the diversity of choices in the modern world.
So next time you're out getting dinner and you can't make up your mind, just know you're experiencing the Paradox of Choice.
● The Pratfall Effect
When something is perfect, it can seem threatening. The Pratfall effect proves that making mistakes or admitting your downfalls can make a person more likable and more relatable.
Elliot Aronson discovered the bias that we call the Pratfall effect in 1966.
It is also called the "blemishing effect" occasionally.
An example of this would be when you're walking with your friend or partner and one of them trips over their own feet or walks into something, it's very likely that their level of likability will increase in your eyes.
- The Anchoring Effect
Anchoring is a cognitive bias that influences the decisions that a person makes.
Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman were the first to theorize anchoring in 1974.
A good example here is when a person goes shopping and sees that the price tags say that the prices have been slashed or have 50% discounts on them.
Let's say that you see a shirt or blouse that cost over Rs.1000 but there's a new tag that says it's only Rs.499. Immediately, your mind starts thinking about how great of an offer it is and you're going to want to purchase it.
- The Halo Effect
When someone sees a person who’s attractive, they have a tendency to assign that person with positive traits like intelligence, better mental health, and more.
Edward Thorndike, a psychologist, wrote about the Halo effect in an article published in 1920.
The Halo effect is an error in judgement that reflects a person's preferences, ideology, and perception.
It also works with brands and companies and is correlated with brand loyalty and brand strength.
These are just a few of the effects that we don't notice in our daily lives. Imagine how many we could find if we just paid a little extra attention.
