When We Like to Choose (08-23-10)

Sometimes people are more interested in making choices than others.  Designers presenting options to clients take note:  when people are pursuing utilitarian goals choosing isn’t so important, but when a pleasurable experience is involved, they’d rather make a selection.  Botti and McGill conducted research and found that:  “Results consistently show that the outcome of a self-made choice is more satisfying than the outcome of an externally made choice when the goal is hedonic [pleasure], but when the goal is utilitarian there is no difference in satisfaction between choosers and non-choosers.”  Clients purchasing art for a utilitarian reason, such as to keep patients calm, and people buying art that will be a pleasure to view clearly have different perspectives on the importance of selecting that artwork.

Simona Botti and Ann L. McGill. “The Locus of Choice: Personal Causality and Satisfaction with Hedonic and Utilitarian Decisions.” Journal of Consumer Research, in press.