New Netflix research has found that more than half of people often second-guess decisions, while almost half admit someone else can talk them out of their first instinct. Almost half admit that simply knowing a much more valuable alternative could be available might convince them to give up what they already have.
More than a third could also be persuaded to risk a guaranteed prize if the odds of receiving something more valuable appeared to be in their favour.
The Shop comes to Shoreditch
To see what happens when those hypothetical “what ifs” become very real, Netflix put Londoners’ decision-making to the test by bringing the Shop from the Sidemen’s new series Outside to Boxpark Shoreditch.
Joined by Sidemen star Tobi Brown and Outside stars Moyo Ajibade, Josh Larkin (The Burnt Chip), Paige Meade (Paigey Cakey), Danielle Stockley (Dani Babes) and Heinz Baines, members of the public were given the chance to play for a share of £50,000 worth of prizes.
Stick or twist
Players chose from one of six categories - A Piece of Gold, Hot Wheels, A Nice Ring, Good(ie) Bag, A Good Time and Go On, Surprise Me - before being randomly allocated a concealed prize from their chosen category.
But before discovering exactly what they had won, they faced the ultimate decision: STICK with the mystery prize selected for them, or TWIST, give it up and gamble on another from the same category. Those who Twisted were first shown exactly what they had given away before their new prize was revealed, forcing them to confront the ultimate “what if?” before discovering whether second-guessing themselves had paid off.
And when faced with the decision for real, 88% chose to Twist, compared to 12% who trusted their first instinct and Stuck.
What could have been
Among the day’s biggest “what could have been” moments was an unfortunate man who unknowingly gave up a £5k designer watch, for a plastic egg timer.
The real-life Shop was inspired by the Sidemen’s new Netflix reality competition Outside, which sees a group of content creators living together in a forest while competing for a share of a £1 million prize pot. In the Shop, contestants can spend from that collective pot on comforts and luxuries, meaning every temptation comes at a cost.
