Welcome to the 13th part of the series on
manipulations that can be used against you. Today, we will examine the loss aversion technique. Loss
aversion is a cognitive bias that refers to the tendency for people to prefer avoiding losses
over acquiring equivalent gains. In other words, the pain of losing something is typically
felt more strongly than the pleasure of gaining something of equal value. Emphasize
what someone stands to lose by not taking action rather than what they stand to gai
n. For
example, framing a message as "avoid missing out" rather than "don't miss out" can be
more effective. It may seem elementary, but even this slight word swap carries
significant weight, creating a sense of fear of missing out or losing the offer rather
than focusing on what one stands to gain from it. The next time you shop and something from
what I said seems familiar, think about it.
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