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The existence bias.

Scott Eidelman1, Christian S Crandall, Jennifer Pattershall

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA. eidelman@uark.edu

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|October 28, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People naturally assume that if something exists, it must be good. This "existence bias" influences judgments of desirability, attractiveness, and even taste, favoring the status quo.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • The status quo bias suggests a preference for the current state.
  • Previous research indicates people often prefer the familiar.
  • However, the direct link between mere existence and perceived goodness is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the
  • existence bias,
  • where mere existence is treated as evidence of goodness.
  • To explore how existence influences evaluations across various domains, including aesthetics and taste.
  • To determine if this bias is moderated by the valence of the item.

Main Methods:

  • Five studies were conducted using diverse methodologies.
  • Participants evaluated existing states versus alternatives.
  • Imagination and prevalence manipulations were used to influence likelihood and aesthetic judgments.
  • Gustatory evaluations were also assessed.

Main Results:

  • An existing state was consistently evaluated more favorably than alternatives.
  • Increased imagination of an event led to higher likelihood estimates and favorable evaluations.
  • Prevalence positively correlated with aesthetic attractiveness.
  • The existence bias extended to taste and was not moderated by valence.

Conclusions:

  • Mere existence creates an assumption of goodness, influencing judgments across multiple domains.
  • The status quo is perceived as good, right, attractive, tasty, and desirable due to this bias.
  • This cognitive shortcut simplifies decision-making but can lead to suboptimal choices.