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> it was still just an internet study where people were self reporting And I wonder whether it would largely have been people contemplating a decision because

> it was still just an internet study where people were self reporting And I wonder whether it would largely have been people contemplating a decision because they were dissatisfied/ unhappy with the status quo? My immediate thought it to Nassim Taleb’s via negativa - not necessarily any more well researched, but the view that in uncertainty do nothing or indeed do less to create a better outcome. That inaction is to be preferred where change and action has no clear benefit.

ChrisHardman29 6y ago
Interesting point. I haven't read that but maybe the appropriate approach depends on the situation / level of uncertainty. For example, in situations where we have little clarity on the options or what the outcomes will look like, it perhaps makes sense to resist any urge to take action because we can't make any sensible comparison between the change and the status quo (and 'action bias' may be more of a factor). In other situations, like leaving one job to go to another, we have a better (though definitely imperfect) idea of what the options / outcomes look like and so may be better placed to make a comparison (in which case loss aversion may be more important). This is just a theory though - I may be totally wrong!