Imagine you are a Doctor.
Or, maybe, you are already Doctor?
In which case, stop imagining.
You have the medical records in front of you of 67 year old with arthritis and severe hip pain.
He’s been given drugs in the past with minimal benefit and the next port of call seems to be a replacement.
With all it’s difficulties and long, slow recovery.
But, actually, what’s this?
Hold your horses Doc!
It appears there is new drug that hasn’t been tried yet.
Which approach do you recommend?
In a test setting, 47% of Doctors choose to try the medication, 53% go forward with the replacement.
Repeat the test with two new treatments becoming available and what happens?
Only 28% chose to try one.
The other 72% going for the replacement.
On the surface, this doesn’t seem to make any sense.
Two new treatments are surely more likely to help than one?
And the second treatment can’t have made the chance of the first one helping any higher or lower.
It’s an example of ‘Decision Paralysis’.
Too many options meaning the chooser reverts to the “default plan”.
It’s shown in countless other experiments.
Displays in supermarkets with samples of 6 different jams……….
Lead to 10 times the sales of displays with sample of 24 jams.
The extra choices causes a reversion to the “default plan” of not buying any jam.
My wife Alex went to Piccalino’s in Alderley Edge with the NCT Mums the other night.
She always has the same dish as there’s hundreds on the menu (so she tells me, she’s not take me yet).
And so on.
Although we like the idea of having lots of options………
As a species we are likely to revert to that default whenever the options are too numerous.
It’s one of the reasons people struggle with changing the way they eat.
If you’re used to picking up a pizza on the way home……….
And you’re vaguely “trying to eat better”………
You have a near infinite number of options.
Do I have a salad?
Some meat and veg?
Which meat?
Which veg?
How do I cook them?
What sauces can I have?
And so on.
What happens?
You end up going for the pizza.
Choice is good in places.
But if it’s too much as it’s making you revert to a default that isn’t going to help you get your goals……….
You might benefit from restricting that choice.
Pick three healthy dishes that you like to start.
Your choice for tea tonight is one of the three.
Done!
Do that till you’re doing it consistently.
Then add some more in.
Give yourself the amount of choice that helps you make a good choice.
Much love,
Jon ‘Looking forward to when they sort neck replacements’ Hall and Matt ‘Hipster’ Nicholson
P.S. Places going fast for next month’s challenge. So, if you like the idea of losing 20lbs or getting a Beach Body and having someone pay for it, check myrise.co.uk/briefing-meeting 🙂
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