Premium
Bias in Favor of the Status Quo
Author(s) -
Eidelman Scott,
Crandall Christian S.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
social and personality psychology compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.699
H-Index - 53
ISSN - 1751-9004
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-9004.2012.00427.x
Subject(s) - regret , status quo , status quo bias , prima facie , rationalization (economics) , psychology , preference , rationality , social psychology , positive economics , appeal , economics , microeconomics , epistemology , political science , law , philosophy , computer science , machine learning , market economy
People favor the existing and longstanding states of the world. Rational explanations for status quo maintenance are complemented by a number of non‐rational mechanisms; loss aversion, regret avoidance, repeated exposure, and rationalization create a preference for existing states. We show that the status quo also benefits from a simple assumption of goodness due to mere existence and longevity; people treat existence as a prima facie case for goodness, aesthetic and ethical Longevity increases this preference. These biases operate heuristically, forming barriers to cognitive and social change.