Chapter 16. The Path of Least Resistance

LET’S BE HONEST, most of us are pretty lazy. Given a choice between action and inaction, we choose the latter—we do nothing. Don’t believe me? Have you ever signed up for a “free three-month subscription” to a magazine of your choice? If so, then you probably know how that story plays out: like most people, you probably neglected to cancel within the grace period. As another example, consider how students tend to sit in the same seat, even when there’s no seating chart. Or think about how one television show bleeds into another, chances are much higher we’ll stay on that station (something television networks exploit to their advantage).

Given two choices, we tend to choose the one that doesn’t require ...

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