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Imagine this…

The year is 2013, and you’re standing in a concession line at the movie theater, pondering the perfect snack to grab before Wolf of Wall Street starts.

(Your friend Beth brought her extra-large tote bag to sneak in a 12-pack of chicken tenders, but that’s a whole other story.)

You stare intently at the board displaying the different popcorn sizes and their prices.

🍿 Small — $5
🍿 Medium — $10
🍿 Large — $15

(Remember, this is 2013, so prices for everyday goods like popcorn—and eggs—weren’t enough to bankrupt you.)

Next, you start seriously weighing your options.

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Small feels too small. It probably won’t even last through the previews, and you’ll wish you had gotten a bigger size.

But large feels like way too much. Plus you’re not willing to drop $15 and only get popcorn in return.

Suddenly, the middle option—medium—feels just right.

By the time you get to the counter, your mind is made up, and you ask for one medium popcorn.

Why did the medium popcorn feel like the best decision?

In today’s edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we’ll explore the Goldilocks Effect—why we tend to avoid extremes and pick the middle option instead.

Let’s get into it.

🧠 The Psychology of the Goldilocks Effect

In a classic 1992 study, Simonson and Tversky showed how consumers make decisions when presented with different product choices.

In experiments involving cameras and other goods, they found that when an extreme option (either very high or very low in price—or quality) was in the lineup, consumers were more likely to pick the middle option.

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Why?

Researchers pointed to Extremeness Aversion, which suggests that people avoid choices that feel too extreme and prefer to “compromise” when making decisions.

This is also linked to Loss Aversion and Regret Aversion.

Choosing an extreme option can feel riskier. This increases the chances of feeling like we lost out on something and regretting the choice we made (no bueno).

In that same vein, setting extremes also taps into Anchoring, so a high-priced option makes the middle choice feel like a good deal.

With all these psychological principles at play, it’s no wonder smart marketers love using the Goldilocks Effect to make the option they want you to pick feel like the obvious choice.

(P.S. The Goldilocks Effect is also known as the Compromise Effect. But we went with the Goldilocks Effect because we have a soft spot for bears—and porridge.)
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🤑 How To Apply This

Alright, so how can you apply this right now to sell more?

​Use a decoy option to drive sales

Williams-Sonoma struggled to sell a $279 bread maker—until they introduced a $429, slightly larger version.

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Williams-Sonoma didn’t expect to sell a ton of the more expensive bread maker. But they didn’t need to.

It was just there to make the $279 option look waaay more reasonable.

And guess what? Sales of the more affordable model almost doubled.

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​Segment plans by user identity

Apple Music offers 3 plans:

🎵 Student – $5.99/month (discounted for students)

🎵 Individual – $10.00/month (standard plan)

🎵 Family – $16.99/month (for multiple users)

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If you’re a student, you’ll take the Student plan without thinking.

If you’re signing up for yourself, the Individual plan is the default.

And if you’re considering Family, the jump from $10 to $16.99 suddenly makes it feel like a great deal per person—even if you weren’t originally looking for it.

By segmenting by identity, Apple nudges users into the “right” plan (at the right price) without it feeling like a sales tactic.
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Make the “just right” plan stick out

HoneyBook offers 3 plans: a Starter plan at $29/month, an Essentials plan at $49/month, and a Premium plan at $109/month.

They amplified the Goldilocks Effect by enlarging *and* outlining the middle option, then stamping it with essential social proof (“Most Popular”).

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The result?

You’re more likely to pick the Essentials plan—not too basic, not too pricey—because it feels like the best value.
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💥 The Short of It

As long as there are only a few choices, people naturally gravitate toward the middle option when making decisions.

So if you want to steer your customers toward a specific choice?

Structure your pricing or product lineup so the middle-tier offer feels like the smartest decision.
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​Until next time, happy selling!