More Is Not Always Better
Intuitions About Effective Public Policy Can Lead to Unintended Consequences
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12908162 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ellen Peters (0000-0003-0702-6169, The Ohio State University, corresponding author), William M P Klein (0000-0002-8847-8193), Annette R Kaufman (0000-0002-6696-7025), Louise Meilleur (0000-0001-8341-4062, The Ohio State University), Anna Dixon (King's Fund) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 114-148 |
| Publication date | 2013-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Issues and Policy Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1751-2395 • E-ISSN: 1751-2409 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1751-2409.2012.01045.x |
| PMID | 24000291 |
| PMCID | PMC3758756 |
| OpenAlex | W1655831549 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
| References cited | 130 |
Public policy decisions often appear based on an assumption that providing more options, more information, and greater decision-making autonomy to consumers will produce better outcomes. We examine reasons why this "more-is-better" approach exists based on the psychological literature. Although better outcomes can result from informed consumer choice, we argue that more options, information, and autonomy can also lead to unintended negative consequences. We use mostly health-related policies and guidelines from the United States and elsewhere as exemplars. We consider various psychological mechanisms that cause these unintended consequences including cognitive overload, affect, and anticipated regret, information salience and availability, and trust in governments as authoritative information providers. We also point toward potential solutions based on psychological research that may reduce the negative unintended consequences of a "more-is-better" approach
Affect (linguistics · Autonomy · Business · Cognitive psychology · Economics · Information overload · Political science · Public economics · Public policy · Public relations · Regret · Salience (neuroscience · Situational ethics · Unintended consequences · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Computer Science · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology
A latent profile analysis using the theory of planned behavior to predict alcohol use
How do people interpret information about colorectal cancer screening
Unintended consequences of the Clean Air Act
Would You Use It With a Seal of Approval? Important Attributes of 2,4-Dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) as a Hypothetical Pharmaceutical Product
Carrot and stick incentive policies for climate change mitigation
Parent and Youth Preferences in the Treatment of Youth Depression
A Framework for Enhancing the Value of Research for Dissemination and Implementation
Toss and turn or toss and stop? A coin flip reduces the need for information in decision-making
Tradeoffs and Spillovers in U.S. Criminal Immigration Enforcement
Migration Decision-Making and Its Key Dimensions
Qualis, Para que te quero
The Construction of Preference
The Adaptive Decision Maker
Can “Low-Fat” Nutrition Labels Lead to Obesity?
Patients’ participation in medical care
Supporting Autonomy to Motivate Patients With Diabetes for Glucose Control
Patient Understanding of Food Labels
Do Defaults Save Lives?
Less Is More in Presenting Quality Information to Consumers
Decision aids for people facing health treatment or screening decisions
Strategies for Promoting Healthier Food Choices
Affect, risk, and decision making.
The Differential Impact of Abstract vs. Concrete Information on Decisions 1
Crafting Normative Messages to Protect the Environment
Calorie Labeling And Food Choices: A First Look At The Effects On Low-Income People In New York City
Developing a quality criteria framework for patient decision aids
Numeracy, ratio bias, and denominator neglect in judgments of risk and probability
Numeracy Skill And The Communication, Comprehension, And Use Of Risk-Benefit Information
The Power of Suggestion
Numeric, Verbal, and Visual Formats of Conveying Health Risks
Can patient self-management help explain the SES health gradient?
Causal explanations as a risk factor for depression
Adult Age Differences in Dual Information Processes
Judgment under Uncertainty
Risk, Ambiguity, and the Savage Axioms
An Analysis of Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein’s Nudge
When Choice Does Not Equal Freedom
When choice is demotivating
Fundamental Processes Leading to Attitude Change
Risk Perception and Affect
Moral Identity and Developmental Theory
The Effects of Mandatory Seat Belt Laws on Driving Behavior and Traffic Fatalities
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
Making Numbers Matter
Consumer understanding and use of nutrition labelling
Low-income groups and behaviour change interventions
Can There Ever Be Too Many Options? A Meta-Analytic Review of Choice Overload
Unpacking perceived control in risk perception
The effectiveness of regulatory disclosure policies
Consumer Information Requirements and Telecommunications Regulation
Purchasing Behavior and Calorie Information at Fast-Food Chains in New York City, 2007
How effective is drug abuse resistance education? A meta-analysis of Project Dare outcome evaluations
The effects of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged
The Psychological Pleasure and Pain of Choosing
Involving Patients in Clinical Decisions
Assessing the Effects of Physician-Patient Interactions on the Outcomes of Chronic Disease
Self-determination
Government Health Warnings and the “Boomerang” Effect
Cognitive sophistication does not attenuate the bias blind spot
Maximizing versus satisficing
Thinking too much
Long-term effects of a control-relevant intervention with the institutionalized aged
The illusion of control
The construction of preference
How numeracy influences risk comprehension and medical decision making
Postdecision changes in the desirability of alternatives
Health Insurance Costs and Early Retirement Decisions
Lay discourses and beliefs related to food risks
The Mere Categorization Effect
When Choosing Is Not Deciding
The Skeptical Shopper
Consumer Preference for a No-Choice Option
Cognitive Effort, Affect, and Choice
"Information Load" and Consumers
| Unique citing works | 11 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2025 (11) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |