? Heuristic of the Day: Happy People, Happy Choices
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Happy People, Happy Choices seems a self-evident expression, implying that those in positive moods make optimistic choices, and those feeling negative make pessimistic ones—and this is true.
Yet a misnomer arises with the assumption that optimistic decisions are certain to have happy outcomes; the heuristic instead reminds us that happier people—the effects of idealism—are more likely to make riskier choices.
If Happy People make Happy Choices (or at least more optimistic ones), then influencing common sentiments can change popular assessments of risk; working-class shoppers are more likely to disregard their budgets and buy expensive and unnecessary homeware when spellbound by a mall’s Christmas decorations, than after the holiday season.
It isn’t all bad though. We can learn to leverage this heuristic to our advantage. You can bounce back from a bad mood by using a simple hack. Try music! Evidence has shown that music reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and can almost instantly change a person’s mood.