Prices, packaging and reviews as shortcuts for our decisions

Walking down the aisles of a supermarket, we get overwhelmed by all the choices presented to us. Shelves after shelves decked out with cereals, chocolate, chips and all varieties of snacks.

Standing in the middle of this jungle of garish packages, we look around, pick up a package, read the ingredients, then we put it down and grab another.

They all look similar but different at the same time.
Finally, after a couple of minutes, we take a decision and we pick something familiar, something that looks and feels as a good choice.

We often use the packaging, the price, the sugar content or the fat content as a shortcut, because we don't have the time, nor the expertise to thoroughly investigate each product that we buy.
We use these attributes as an indication of quality. A higher price means a better products, and a well-designed packaging is a sign of high quality goods.
We use reviews in the same way, ignoring the fact that we, as humans, although we agree on a lot of things, we have different tastes and inclinations.

A spicy dish might taste awful to some of us, while a perfectly seasoned recipe might taste bland and tasteless to others.
Some meals might give some people heartburns and stomachaches, while other will be totally fine gorging on the same dishes.
We forget how to be adventurous and have faith in our choices. We ask and check reviews in a effort to save time, and we end up walking the same path as others, missing out on the beauty of following our hunches and gut feelings.

Photo by - igorovsyannykov -