We let you persuade us.

Perhaps the best known way to influence someone's choice is to use context effects, that is, to give them unattractive alternatives or to make one attractive alternative stand out. Yet, one of the curious aspects of decision-making is that people still allow themselves to be persuaded even when they know someone is trying to persuade them. As expected, this is more pronounced when they are with friends, but they still allow themselves to be persuaded by strangers or people who they believe have an ulterior motive. US research confirms that people know they can be persuaded by comparisons of the target with unattractive alternatives, or by making the target a compromise option …