Predictably Irrational Part 4 of 5: Expectations
December 18, 2008 by dr. lam
In Predictably Irrational, Ariely gave a certain subset of participants in an experiment a vinegar-tainted beer to try while disclosing to these individuals in advance that the beer would be laced with vinegar. Almost all subjects who tried the beer reacted instantaneously in a negative way and refused to continue drinking the beer after the initial sip. In a second subset, the participants were told they were going to drink a quality brew and after consuming the first tastes, they were asked what they thought of the beer. After they finished drinking the beer, they were informed that balsamic vinegar had been added to enhance the taste of the beer. Almost all of the participants in this group did not change their mind about the taste of the beer when told of this unusual addition. Then, group one who had been informed in advance of the presence of vinegar was offered the chance to add the right amount of vinegar to help enhance the taste of the beer, which was two dropperfuls for every ounce of beer. Not suprisingly, no one accepted the offer to add the vinegar. When group 2 was offered the chance to enhance their beer with vinegar, most of them actually added the vinegar to the beer to make it more flavorful. This is a powerful study to show how perceived expectations can alter our enjoyment of an item, event, etc.
As you probably know, I tend to err on the side of conservative expectations rather than simply creating a false and uneducated bias toward how rosy everything will be. I outline for you in great detail all the limitations of any procedure you choose with me because I want to make sure that expectations are met rather than not. I tell you the vinegar in advance of your drinking the beer, so to speak. Perhaps not how marketers would recommend engaging in business, but this is plastic surgery not selling couches. I tend to create as realistic an expectation on the front end as humanly possible, as many of you who have sat in on a consultation with me know full well.
A great video log that I shot discusses the differences between education, expectations, and excuses. In short, an education is the same thing as an excuse, except that it was told to a patient before a procedure rather than afterward. Creating realistic expectations is critical. I always say that the only thing that I can predict about human nature is that it is absolutely unpredictable. That being said, expectations are so very hard to define. “Hey doc, will anyone notice your work at one week following a procedure?” How would you honestly answer that question? Who knows???!!! I simply cannot account for all facets of human responses. However, I help guide you to calibrate proper expectations by asking willing patients to film themselves during their recovery through diaries and journeys, shooting videos entitled companions to help you wade through the psychological dimensions you need to know, and to ask countless questions in the forum and shoot as many educational videos as possible. Even with all of this work, I still sometimes fall short of trying to capture every single patient’s expectations appropriately.
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