The New York Times writes about latest research results on consumer behavior in the article “Some Blissful Ignorance Can Cure Chronic Buyer’s Remorse“. Named the “Blissful Ignorance Effect” it says that people who have more ambiguous information about a product expect to be happier with what they have bought than those who have more specific details.

In general, he says, people are “cognitive misers” — they do not want to do a lot of thinking and research. That is one reason that brands and slogans are attractive; they are a shortcut to information.

The good news, Professor Aronson says, is that we rarely regret a decision as much as we think we will. For example, he said, in buying a house, we might briefly experience buyer’s remorse, but 90 percent of the time, it eventually fades and we find ways to convince ourselves that the positive things about the house outweigh the negative.

Read the full article.

Why do I blog this? Understanding and incorporating these fine nuances in consumer behavior can make the difference between an indifferent and and an extraordinary customer experience.