The Free Choice Paradigm

The Free Choice Paradigm is a psychological experiment that explores how making a choice affects our feelings about the options. Participants are asked to choose between two similar items, then rate their satisfaction with their choice and the rejected item. Results often show that after choosing, people tend to rate the selected option higher and the rejected one lower—a phenomenon called "spreading of alternatives." This suggests that our preferences can change after we decide, often to reduce regret and boost satisfaction, highlighting how decision-making influences our perceptions and feelings about the choices we make.