Why do we prefer things that we are familiar with?
Mere Exposure Effect
, explained.What is the Mere Exposure Effect?
The mere exposure effect describes our tendency to develop preferences for things simply because we are familiar with them. For this reason, it is also known as the familiarity principle.
Where this bias occurs
Consider the following hypothetical situation: one day, Jane and her family decide to visit an area in town called “Little Portugal” to eat lunch at a restaurant. Jane has never eaten Portuguese food before. As a result, when Jane looks at the menu, she doesn’t recognize any of the dishes; some of the ingredients are completely foreign to her.
Jane doesn’t know what to order. Then, she notices that on the backside of the menu, there is pizza and burgers. Finally, some food she is familiar with! Jane loves pizza—she eats it all the time. So naturally, this is what Jane orders.
When the pizza arrives, Jane is reminded of her love for the dish. This affection is further reinforced after she finishes her satisfying meal.
Jane’s decision to order a dish she is familiar with, and her increased love for that meal after eating it once again, can be attributed to the mere exposure effect. We prefer things that we have been exposed to in the past, and our preference increases as our exposure does.
