The existence bias.
The authors demonstrate that people treat the mere existence of something as evidence of its goodness. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that an existing state is evaluated more favorably than an alternative. Study 3 shows that imagining an event increases estimates of its likelihood, which in turn leads to favorable evaluation; the more likely that something will be, the more positively it is evaluated. Study 4 shows that the more a form is described as prevalent, the more aesthetically attractive is that form. This indicates a causal relationship between aesthetic judgments and existence in a domain lacking choice among alternatives. Study 5 extends the existence bias to gustatory evaluation and demonstrates that the effect is not moderated by valence. Together these studies suggest that mere existence leads to assumptions of goodness; the status quo is seen as good, right, attractive, tasty, and desirable.
Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA. eidelman@uark.edu
Scott
S
Eidelman
Christian S
CS
Crandall
Jennifer
J
Pattershall
D000293:Adolescent; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D007600:Judgment; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D011337:Probability Learning; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult