Behavior

The Default Was Chosen for You

1:10 · 2026-10-26

A preselected option is a decision made by whoever designed the screen, and because leaving a default in place takes no action while changing it does, people tend to accept presets they would not have chosen on their ow…

Sources behind this episode

• peer-reviewed foundationalStatus Quo Bias in Decision MakingSamuelson and Zeckhauser 1988, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 1, 7-59
• peer-reviewed meta-analysisWhen and why defaults influence decisions: a meta-analysis of default effectsJachimowicz, J. M., Duncan, S., Weber, E. U. and Johnson, E. J. 2019. Behavioural Public Policy 3(2), 159-186.
• mechanism paper, three experimentsPartitioning default effects: why people choose not to chooseDinner, Johnson, Goldstein and Liu 2011, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 17(4), 332-341
• peer-reviewed field study, over 13 million NYC taxi ridesDefault TipsHaggag and Paci 2014, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 6(3), 1-19
• preprint, two simulated coffee-shop studiesPro tip: Screen-based payment methods increase negative feelings in consumers but do not increase tip sizesGoh, Jungck and Stevens 2022, PsyArXiv preprint, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, not peer reviewed
• conference proceedings experimentDigital Tipping Intimidation at the CounterBechkoff 2019, Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings