Running Head: HOW PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCE OUR DECISIONS 1

How psychological factors influence our decisions Otavio Silva Pires Academic English Class University of Toronto Mississauga

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How our surroundings influence our decisions There are many factors that might influence a person during the decision making process. This research paper will try to explain and exemplify how psychological factors influence this process. This research consists of summarizing the most relevant information from three trustful psychology papers and books about decision making. The relevance of this topic is to clarify how everyday decisions are being made and try to explain how people can use this knowledge to improve their decisions. Significance The goal of this paper is to provide the reader with helpful information about the decision-making process. It is destined for people who struggle with difficult decisions during their lives. This paper aims to provide the readers with examples of how the brain reacts to external factors during the decision-making process and to help them to make better decisions that are more consistent with their wills. Methodology This research paper was made using the search engine ProQuest from the University of Toronto to find peer-reviewed scholarly journals about Psychological factors which influence humans decision-making in 68 databases. Furthermore, were also used two books from the psychology professors Dan Ariely and Robert Cialdini. The main search key words are the folowing: psycholog*; decision*; choice*; influence*; factor*.

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Comparison According to Professor Dan Ariely (2008) in his book Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, We don't have an internal value meter that tells us how much things are worth. Rather, we focus on the relative advantage of one thing over another, and estimate value accordingly (p. 3). In other words, we always seek something to compare before making a decision, and most of the time someone intentionally provides a comparative option to influence peoples decisions. To exemplify, Professor Ariely set up an experiment where he showed two similar faces to MIT students and asked them to choose the best looking faces. However, he also included a less attractive version of one of the pictures, modified in an image editor, in the options. Ariely (2008) affirm that 75 percent of times he handed sheets with a regular picture, its inferior version, and another picture, people prefer to date the first regular person (which has an inferior version) over the other. Reciprocation In the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Professor Robert Cialdini explain the rule of reciprocation, witch states that people naturally feel obligated to recompense any favor done for them (2009). For example, if somebody receive a gratuity gift, this person feels compelled to repay with a gift of equal or greater value. This rule is widely used in our everyday life to help us making decisions. Cialdini exemplifies his point with the marketing tactic of giving free samples. Many people find it difficult to accept a sample from the always-smiling attendant, return only the toothpick, and

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walk away. Instead, they buy some of the product, even if they might not have liked it especially well (Cialdini, 2009, p. 20). Evolutionary factors According to the Professors D. Kenrick, N. Li and J. Butner, many of the human decisions are based on genetic inheritance from their ancestors. Decision mechanisms are considered restrictive choice governs intended to address the key issues confronted by human precursors (2003). Kenrick, Li and Butner studies shown that such decision mechanisms, developed within the evolution of the human species, exhibit different results in different domains leading to a variety of cultures and social mechanics. Furthermore, researchers find out that in species where females have longest and more difficult labor and parenting, their selectivity of partners is increased. As Kenrick, Li and Butner (2003) exemplifies, [human] males are, compared with females, generally more inclined toward obtaining multiple mates . . . the costs of a poor mating decision will weigh more heavily for females than for males (p.17). Conclusion This article provided three examples of how psychological factors entrenched in our minds might influence our decisions: comparisons, reciprocation and evolutionary traces. Finally, one might use this knowledge as a helpful tool before making a decision. As Professor Ariely says: Once we understand when and where we may make erroneous decisions, we can try to be more vigilant, force ourselves to think differently about these decisions, or use technology to overcome our inherent shortcomings. (Ariely, 2008, p. 244).

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References Kenrick, D. T., Li, N. P., & Butner, J. (2003). Dynamical evolutionary psychology: Individual decision rules and emergent social norms. Psychological Review, 110(1), 3-28. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.110.1.3 Ariely, D. (2008). Predictably irrational: The hidden forces that shape our decisions. (p. 3-44). New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Cialdini, R. (1993). Influence (rev): The psychology of persuasion. (Illustrated, reprint, revised ed., pp. 13-20). HarperCollins.