Reactance

Why being told to do something makes you wanna do it less

Day 181 / 365

Parents would agree that telling a child to do something is not going to help much. It might even make things worse, as sometimes children will not do something for the sole reason that their parents asked them to do it. This is so true that many people will often use reverse psychology and often ask for the opposite thing to be done, thus ensuring that eventually, they’ll get what they wanted

In psychology, this phenomenon is known as Reactance. And what’s primarily at play here is peoples desire for power. People will always be motivated to protect their freedom of choice. Having someone else tell you what to do would mean giving up this freedom, and therefore people are reluctant to do it.

This is why forbidden fruits are so tempting. This is why people had an increased craving for Maggi when it was banned! The fact that you are not allowed to do something makes you want to do it more.

And as a corollary for the same, being ordered to do something makes you wanna do it less.

This post is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Yesterday’s blog — Earning your comfort