Predictably Irrational Part 4 of 5: Expectations
December 18, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
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.
Predictably Irrational Part 3 of 5: Differences in Perceived Value
December 17, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
One of the psychological experiments mentioned in the book, Predictably Irrational, concerned how Duke University students viewed the value of tickets for the Final Four in which Duke would be participating. A lottery was instituted in which a certain lucky number of students won tickets gratis for this event, whereas others obviously were resigned to watch it from a sports bar or their dorm room. Ariely then called the abject losers of the lottery to see how much they would fork over for the right to see the event live. Somehow almost all of those polled arrived at a figure of about $170 some odd dollars. Ariely asked them how did they come up with this amount? The typical response was that they could easily watch the event at a sports bar and that is how much it would cost them in drinks, food, and also a bit on the side to purchase CDs and other frivolities that would make up the difference of not seeing the game in person. Ariely then asked the winning lottery holders to see how much they would accept as a reasonable offer for their tickets. Most ticket holders settled on a sum that hit approximately $2400 without much variance. He then asked the winners how did they arrive at such a figure. The responses involved how that Final Four event would define their entire 4-year time at Duke and how they would be able to pass that cherished memory down to their children and their grandchildren. How did their rarified view of the event stand in such stark contrast to the more pedestrian perception of the non ticket holders?
There in lies the rub. We oftentimes hold ownership at a much higher level than the non-owner. Accordingly, be careful about the 30-day, money-back guarantee. The couch you just bought that you might have had only passing interest in has now become your personal possession which you could not bear to forgo after the expiration of the 30-day period elapses. The gold digital cable connection that you were given as a 90-day trial period becomes part of your privileged right that you can no longer part with to accept the more mundane silver package lacking 4 HD channels as well as some other premium channels (that you conveniently never watch).
When I talk about aesthetics of the face, there is oftentimes a misalignment of perceptions regarding the magnitude of a problem or the lack thereof. For instance, I had a lady come in who wanted her eyelids managed when all I could see were her over-inflated lips staring back at me. I think the corpulent nature of her lips probably obstructed her vision as much as any eyelid issues she might have had. Most surgeons are trained to simply give a patient what he or she wants. I simply refuse to do that. My goal is to help you see what other people perhaps more clearly see but simply won’t tell you owing to genteel discretion.
Alternatively, you also are aware that I tend to help calibrate perception of a problem by de-emphasizing what many women perceive is the problem, which is invariably some small lines around their mouth, a small upper lip, or asymmetry of their upper lip. Simply put, 99.99999% of other people looking at you do not see that deficiency. Of course, I can manage it but I would like to help someone see the big picture of what is the problem so that I can help provide a more balanced appraisal in order that whatever money you spend there can be a wow effect from the observer. We are social creatures and we tend to cherish approbation from another and become crestfallen at any negative observations from a third party (or the absence of another’s perception of the benefits of a particular treatment.) My goal during a consultation is to help you be educated on what may be priority #1 in terms of what any person would see is making you look not as attractive, rested, or youthful as you could be. In fact, it is my fiduciary responsibility to help you perceive the relative value in something by putting it into perspective and prioritizing what I see would most likely benefit you.
Predictably Irrational Part 1 of 5: Market Vs. Social Forces
December 15, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
I alluded to Dan Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational, a few months ago when a hair transplant patient mentioned the book to me during surgery. That obviously spurred my interest, and I have since read the book. The book really is quite fascinating in many respects as it relates to predictably irrational human behavior in the field of “behavioral economics.” As much as we would like to think of ourselves as lucidly rational individuals, we are all swayed by an uncanny humanness that is present but that can be mitigated if we are aware of that proclivity.
The single most interesting facet of his book that I have repeated several times to my staff is the concept of market versus social forces. He opens with an example of a Thanksgiving dinner. You go to eat your mother’s cooking and say something to the effect, “Mom, great meal. I really would like to pay for it. How about 250 dollars or better 350?” Obviously, that would be an expensive price for a meal, but it would still be considered an absolute insult to the receiver rather than an honest appraisal. In short, we humans mentally divide market situations from social ones. Clearly, the social force here should preside and the intrusion of a market force destroys the more powerful, abiding social force.
The most interesting example that Ariely described was a day care center that got tired of parents’ occasional tardiness to pick up their kids at the end of the day. Accordingly, the administration levied a $25 fine on all parents who were late to procure their little ones. The effect was that the parents actually became consistently tardier, the reverse effect of the desired one. The application of a market force ($25 fine) over a social one (parents’ feeling guilty of being late to pick up their kids) essentially nullified the social contract and all the attendant guilt. Realizing that this fine backfired on them, the administration removed the fine. The result was quite surprising. The parents actually started to become even later to pick up their kids because they no longer had social nor market forces at play. Social forces had been eliminated because the parents lost their perception of their duty to pick up their kids once the market force was applied, albeit temporarily. Social forces take a long time to be mentally reinstated.
I was approached at a party by a seasoned videographer who said, “Sam, you really should be charging people to watch your videos. For example, Tony Robbins charges people a fraction of what he charges them when they sign up to watch a live webinar versus actually attending his live events.” I replied, “That is not what I am about. I don’t charge people for my time. I look at it as education for procedures that I get paid to do.” I reflected about it, and I look at it as a social obligation that I have toward my patient and prospective patient base that clearly has long-range monetary goals for my business but should not be compromised by turning that information into a market force when I and I think all readers/viewers of my material look at it as a social force.