Have you ever wondered why chains (food, clothing, supermarkets) are growing like crazy and small business keep shrinking?
Surely, there are financial reasons like lower bulk prices when purchasing raw materials or other factors but the main reason is fear.

We don’t choose what we like best. We choose what we fear least.
It doesn't matter if it’s in business or in personal life. Most humans fear one thing the most and that’s making a mistake.

This is also the reason perceived competence is so important. By convincing people that choosing you to work with is the right decision, you’re ultimately getting rid of their fear making a wrong choice. Check out the post if you missed it.

We have a “loss aversion”, which means that we have a higher motivation for avoiding pain than for increasing joy. Therefore, reducing uncertainty which could bring us pain becomes a fundamental driving force of human behavior.

Fast food chains use this human characteristic to their advantage better than anybody.

How are they doing it?

It’s crucial for any business to reduce the risk for customers as much as possible. They do that by being confident and by providing something well-known.
The goal for any chain is to serve the same product at any place worldwide.
Ray Croc, the founder of Mc Donalds said once that he wanted to serve “the same burger from Atlantic City to Zaragoza”.

Undoubtedly he was right. The success of Mc Donalds speaks for itself.
Even though we know it probably is not the healthiest or most tasty food out there, we choose it many times over way better options.
I lost count how many times I have been in a different part of the world looking for a place to eat. Many times I was not sure about certain restaurants and guess where I ended up? Mc Donalds, Starbucks, Burger King or Five guys.
It was not the great food that brought me to those chains, it was the fear of going to a bad restaurant and I knew at least what I would get for my money eating at Mc Donalds.

When I was 14 years old I visited Paris with my school class. We were on our way to a student exchange in the north of France for one week.
Before going on that trip a couple of older students warned me about the Cheeseburgers in France. They said that the taste is different and that last year all of them got stomach issues after eating cheeseburgers.

Realistically speaking with 99% certainty I probably would have been fine, since this incident occurred one year ago but my confidence that a cheeseburger at the Mc Donalds in Paris would be a save choice was gone and I chose a bakery one street across.

What are other occasions where fear clouds our decision?

Politicians re-elections:
More than 75% of all politicians have gotten re-elected in the past 50 years.
If you ask most voters they were probably not happy with their candidates performance in the past but they voted for them again.
Reducing anxiety levels is one on their central driving goals. Many times voters are willing to stick with politicians they already know instead of choosing the unknown.
The reasons politicians in office get re-elected so often is known as the incumbency advantage.

Relationships:
How many of you have been in a relationship with a partner of a friend in which you weren’t happy at all? How long did it take you to end that relationship?
The fear of the unknown is what makes us not wanting to change anything.
Only if you can’t take it anymore you decide to move on. That point comes sooner or later for everyone.


Career:
In the past I used to work for a company with approx. 100 employees.
Almost everyone I met the first day has been with them for more than 30 years.
I had heard in the past that people don’t leave that company because it is such a great place to work at.
My first thought was very positive and I took it as a sign for great work environment, good pay, an amazing team etc.

My assumption couldn’t have been further from the truth. Almost anyone I met was unhappy. They were screaming at each other and the work environment was terrible.
I didn’t see any motivation. The only thing everyone was concerned about was gossip and finding ways to make the day go by.
I was so shocked and understood very quickly that this is not a place I wanted to stay for long.

Even though most people I met were unhappy and not motivated, no one left.
It was fear of an unknown challenge that made them stay with that company even though they probably would have been much happier somewhere else.
Don’t get me wrong there is a possibility of switching careers and not being lucky. Maybe it will be worse or you will be fired but if you’re too scared to try something new you are missing out in life.

I believe that younger generations have changed when it comes to that.
Most people I know nowadays don’t stay at a place that they don’t like for long.
I’m not saying quit every time it gets tough but if you can’t take it anymore and you’re unhappy where you’re at, try something new.

In conclusion

We learned that fear is probably the biggest factor when it comes to making decisions. This protection mechanism can be helpful but it can also prevent you from making new and exciting experiences.
Not everyone is the same and not every person has the same willingness to try and risk something new but I believe we can all take small steps.
Why not try a new restaurant or going on a vacation discovering completely new places?
I promise you it will help you evolve as a person.

Thank you for reading.