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control
You believe your effort influences random outcomes.
A 1975 study found people bet more on lottery tickets when they selected the numbers themselves.
You perceive a correlation between active participation and favorable results, even in pure games of chance. This bias grows stronger when you believe the task involves skill.
You are often just participating in a process that is entirely indifferent to you.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Langer, 1975
- What the check found
- Ellen Langer's 1975 paper 'The illusion of control' is a foundational study in psychology that documented how self-selection increases the perceived value of lottery tickets.
- Confidence
- Well replicated
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.