The Illusion of Control | woko

A very human phenomenon

Throughout the centuries, the history of man has always been marked by his close relationship with him religion and belief, as a resource for finding solace, meaning and direction in times of uncertainty. Belief in a higher power directing events and decisions has managed to give people a… sense of control about the events of his own life and acted as such Frame in dealing with everyday events.

It is similar with that superstition, the main basis of which is the idea that certain patterns or rituals can affect the outcomes of events. Although the reality is that they lack any scientific basis random connection of a result with a specific action reinforces our illusion of control about events, even if there is no connection between them.

Although they are different situations, both have something in common: people cling to themconfident that we have Ability to influence outcomes future events or the circumstances surrounding us.

WHO (we believe so) are you in control

He place of controlfirst named by Julian B. Rotter in 1966, refers to the subjective perception around where is the control the events of our life. Could be internalwhen we attribute control ourselves about what is happening to us, or externalwhen we consider that they are Other People or circumstances that dominate Our everyday life.

while illusion of control is closely related to a Internal control roomleading us to mistakenly believe that we have more influence than we really have, people with one external place of control tend to attribute the results to it external forces such as luck or fate. This perspective may be related to the learned helplessnessa phenomenon in which people experience a extreme lack of control about the events and You learn to feel powerless to change your own situation.

In this way, although the illusion of control can seem great behavior motivator By empowering people, it can also be dangerous double-edged sword: If we hold on to the belief that we have a significant impact on events, we can stay paralyzed when we introduce ourselves Situations where control is limited or non-existentwhich can lead to inactivity, apathy, hopelessness and demotivation.

Illusion of control in marketing and design

In the area of marketing and des behavior designthe illusion of control can be one very powerful tool so much to do Experiences that empower to our users to achieve one stronger connection with our audience goal, increase your Commitment to our brands and products. Some most common applications for this they are:

• Adjustment– By using intelligent algorithms, we can collect data and preferences from our users and offer them personalized content tailored to their interests. This provides a sense of control over the information received and facilitates informed decision-making.
• gamification: People love to play and feel challenged, which can be leveraged by designing experiences that actively engage people, such as B. Contests, challenges and rewards. By giving them the opportunity to participate and win, we create an illusion of control where they feel their actions affect the bottom line.
• Interactive design: By providing users with interactive tools like filters and advanced search options to explore content in personalized ways, they are in control of what they ultimately find.

Empower, motivate and reward

In short, although people often we are fooling ourselves believing we have one greater influence about the events and outcomes of what we actually own, that lack of control can have negative consequences such as inactivity, demotivation and apathy.

Grasp What is the phenomenon? the illusion of control and what relation does it have to the theory of place of control and the learned helplessnessallows you to use more effective strategies Enable the behavior you want on your users and your design unforgettable, motivating and rewarding experiences.