Glass Bottle Please: How Patterns Affect Drink Choices

It turned out that our opinion about naturalness is formed by the appearance of the package, shelf life and price, while the real composition, production technology and other characteristics of the product remain behind the scenes.

For example, the vast majority of Russians (70%) mistakenly believe that a long shelf life automatically means the presence of preservatives.

Almost half of respondents (53%) believe that the simpler the composition, the more useful the product, and glass packaging (52%) is associated with greater naturalness.

Significant differences are observed when comparing different forms of the same product. Researchers illustrate this with the example of tea and coffee: roasted coffee beans are perceived by Russians as natural much more often (84%) than instant coffee (57%). And leaf tea seems natural to the buyer more often (86%) than packaged tea (61%).

The study showed how often when choosing drinks, we are guided by the usual “fast” reference points like shelf life, packaging or the name of the manufacturer, without thinking about the fact that these are more common “measurements” than real factors affecting naturalness.

Technologies such as sublimation remain a mystery to most: only one in five Russians correctly understand what it is, and 44% believe that sublimation is the addition of artificial substances. Even in the case of instant coffee without additives, one in four (25%) suspects the presence of impurities.

The experts concluded that this highlights the importance of consumer awareness of actual production processes. After all, when choosing a drink, naturalness, as they understand it, is the most important factor for 40% of Russians, although 18% assess it, by their own admission, intuitively.

Curiously, these “cognitive biases” affect us not only in our food choices, but also in our lives.

- This is what is called “pattern thinking” in simple language, explains psychiatrist Natalia Novruzova. These are systematic errors in thinking that occur when processing information and affect our judgments and decisions, leading to irrational conclusions. It is an influence on every choice we make, leading to life in the matrix.

Simply put, these are the stereotypes by which our brain simplifies complex data to make it easier for us to work with them. Because of this, we often begin to see the world distorted and make biased decisions.

We have gathered the main things we need to know about the cognitive biases of the average person, so as not to become a slave to what we are told by both unscrupulous sellers and all those who simply believe that it is not necessary to convey to us the essence of the issue.

The main reason for pattern addiction is the evolution and needs of the brain. In ancient times, such "shortcuts" (mental contractions, or heuristics) helped to quickly make decisions in dangerous situations, saving a lot of energy. Today, this often leads to errors, as in the face of information overload, we continue to rely on these simplifications even when they distort reality.

There are other reasons why our brains cling to stereotypes:

How does pattern thinking manifest itself in ordinary life?

- Cognitive biases interfere with an objective assessment of the situation, make informed decisions and learn from their own and others' experience, says neurologist Andrei Rodionov. This is one of the most frequent factors leading to conflicts, the spread of false information and even professional mistakes in medicine and science.

Can we overcome the patterns that live in our own brains? Experts are encouraging:

- Perhaps the first step to overcome is awareness, says neurologist Andrei Rodionov. Here are three important qualities, the development of which will help to throw off the shackles of stereotypes: critical thinking, which implies a conscious search for information that contradicts your beliefs, and its analysis; awareness, which allows you to notice and record moments when you succumb to prejudice; and also inquisitiveness, thanks to which you should not always unconditionally believe yourself in your loved one and you need to often recheck yourself with the question whether there are other, more objective data on this score.