I Choose...That One?

Dan Ariely shows us just how much control we actually have over our decisions in his interesting, witty presentation given at TED Global 2008.

Illusions are all around us. Some of the most recognizable illusions are optical illusions. Here is one shown in Dan Ariely's TED presentation:

Which table is longer?

The answer, in fact, is neither.
Take a ruler and measure for yourself

This image deceives our vision, arguably one of our most used mental functions. What if something tricked a mental capacity we use much less often, say, our cognitive thinking? Actually, it happens all the time. These illusions are what Ariely coins as"cognitive illusions". They influence, specifically, our decision making ability.

Take for example the pricing of print and web subscriptions for The Economist. When given the following choices, the percentage of consumers who bought each category is as such:

Print only: $89.00.........................16%
Web only: $125.00........................0%
Print and web: $125.00...................84%

We see that the web only and the print and web options are priced the same. Obviously, some mistake was made. Predictably, no one bought the web only option. However, when this 'useless' middle choice is removed, we see a drastic change in the market shares:

Print only: $89.00.........................68%
Print and web: $125.00...................32%

What just happened? People are given virtually the same choices. In both cases, they would get the same product. Why would the print and web choice become less popular after middle choice is removed? Think about it like this. When the web only choice is present, you are made to 'realize' that the print and web choice is actually a 'fantastic' deal. So even if you don't need the web subscription, it 'makes sense' to get the print and web deal, because you are 'saving' money. However, once the web only choice is removed, you pretty much have two choices, with or without web. If you don't need web, why would you buy it? Thus, the lower market share.

Descisions like these are all around us, and if we study them, they all of them point to one general principle. The choices you make may already be decided for you. It is not what you want that is the most important thing, it is how those wants are presented to you. This ties into tragedy, as many of our tragic heroes are fated to doom. Fate is what we call it when your decisions are already made for you. Sound familiar?

Success, Failure, and Tragedy

Alain de Botton makes a witty, eloquent case for finding success in our lives in a presentation he made at TED Global 2009.

In his presentation, de Botton talks about what failure is and how it relates to our lives. He starts by defining a snob. What is a snob? According to Botton, a snob is someone who defines you using only one aspect of your appearance or character to judge you. He then ties snobbery to envy. Envy is a funny thing. Think about the Queen of England. You should be extremely envious of her. She has a bigger house, expensive jewelry, and respect. You, however, are more envious of someone who you can relate to, is your age, of your standing. Because this is when you think, I could have done that. I deserve that too.

This trend thrives in a meritocratic society, or a society that rewards you based on your merits. That's a good thing, right? Take a little talent, add a lot of hard work, and soon, you're on your way to the top. It's literally the American Dream. However, this is a two-sided coin. If we say people are where they are because of their merits and abilities, sure, we say that the people on top deserve it and are wonderful people. Unfortunately, we are also saying that the people on the bottom deserve to be on the bottom, and they're horrible people. They're losers. Failures.

That idea is what many people equate to tragedy as well. Tragedy, according to Botton, is how people fail. So, if failure equals a loser, all of the classic heroes are losers. Romeo, Hamlet, Oedipus, they're all simply losers. This is not the case. Hamlet lost, but he was not a loser. Yes, he fell from his greatness, but it was not because he was a loser. It's this thinking we need to get rid of. Our notions of success and failure come from outside suggestion. We need to make sure that our notions of success should come from ourselves.