2 ms·
The "friction" of changing a habit is enough to keep most people with their existing habits. Also knows as, 'people don't like change'. Over the past few year
by MrFoof 11y ago
The "friction" of changing a habit is enough to keep most people with their existing habits. Also knows as, 'people don't like change'.
Over the past few years as my parents approached fixed income (with little savings, they didn't save/invest anything until several years ago), I've been steering them towards habits that offer savings, without sacrifice (i.e. going to a different supermarket, changing telco providers, etc.). Keeping the same things, just lowering the bill. However, my mother is the one who is "in charge" of these things. A campaign to simply change a service provider takes about a year. Even if everything is provided for them. The amount of resistance encountered for her to spend 20 minutes to do something is huge.
After the change, she'll agree it was a great change and even advocate to others that they should do it too. She'll never admit she should've done it when first suggested and empirically shown it would offer no degradation but save money. Yet that friction is very real.
Age isn't a factor either. I know people in their late 20s and mid-30s who do exactly the same thing. People don't like change, and the friction of having to do anything is enough to result in people doing nothing.