Unlock the surprising influence of ‘relativity’ on your everyday decisions

Paula goes out to buy a new jacket. She spots three options: a simple $70 basic, a mid-range $110 version with an extra feature, and a $110 option with less functionality but fancier stitching. The third seems pointless, but it cleverly makes the mid-range one look like a great value in comparison. Paula almost skips the cheapest entirely, but pauses. Would she even consider the $110 jacket if the $110 decoy wasn’t there? Probably not. She leaves, jacketless, determined to review what she truly needs.

Later, her colleague raves about a new smartphone. Paula starts wanting one, but recalls how she enjoyed her current one before making comparisons. She puts her phone away, takes a breath, and finds a small sense of contentment.

Behavioral science shows we rarely judge value on its own—we default to comparing options that are easy to line up, especially when decoy options are planted to shape our choices. This habit extends beyond shopping, seeping into career, friendships, and even self-worth. Understanding relativity and the power of 'decoys' lets us reclaim our own priorities, not just the ones served up by marketers or social pressure.

The next time you're choosing between options, slow down and ask yourself which is the real reason you're leaning in a particular direction. Look for any option that seems to exist only to make another choice look better—a restaurant menu’s priciest entrée, a store’s oddly-designed laptop, or even your neighbor’s new car. Resist making a decision just by comparison and imagine picking your choice if it were the only thing available. Bring your attention back to your own needs. Try this when making your next shopping or life decision—if it feels uncomfortable, that’s a good sign you’re learning to choose by your standards, not others’ distractions.