There are two kinds of people in the world: people who walk into a movie theater and order a reasonable amount of popcorn… and people who look at the largest bucket and think, ‘Well, obviously.’

Welcome back to Biz-Souls, where Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler once again set out to discuss business and somehow end up questioning our entire relationship with capitalism, marketing, food portions, critical thinking, influencers, subscriptions, and whether a human being really needs a Coke large enough to require its own zip code.

This week, we're talking about the decoy effect’, the sneaky little psychological trick that makes the bigger choice suddenly look like the smart option: Small $4, Medium $6, and Large $6.50. Well, hell. We’re getting the large one.

Never mind that you only wanted a drink. Never mind that the large holds enough liquid to hydrate a small village. The pricing structure has spoken, and we are now entrepreneurs in the beverage acquisition business.

As the episode explains, the decoy effect works by changing how we perceive the choices in front of us. Add an option that makes another option look like a better deal, and suddenly we're not making the decision we originally intended to make. We're making the decision the menu quietly encouraged us to make.

And once Rona and Jeffrey get rolling, the conversation gets considerably bigger than popcorn.

They explore how the same basic principles of influence show up in fast food, movie theaters, cars, coffee shops, Costco, subscription pricing, software packages, AI services, bundling, social media and the increasingly impressive number of ways companies can convince us that we desperately need something we weren't even thinking about five minutes ago. Then comes the bigger question: ‘Has the manipulation aspect of marketing gotten out of control?’

That's where things get interesting. The conversation moves from pricing psychology into the broader issue of how people are influenced by advertising, political messaging, social media, influencers, news and the constant stream of information competing for our attention. The hosts argue about where accountability belongs and come back to one increasingly important skill, critical thinking.

And yes, Jeffrey has opinions – which seem to have taken over his perspective. Rona, meanwhile, demonstrates the ancient Biz-Souls survival technique of waiting until Jeffrey runs out of gas.

There is also a particularly entertaining detour into portion sizes and the American obsession with bigger. Our drinks aren't the only things that have experienced a growth strategy. Bananas, tomatoes, restaurant portions and popcorn have all apparently attended the same business seminar, If Bigger Is Better, Why Stop There?

The real takeaway, though, isn't ‘don't buy the large’, it’s ‘take back your ability to choose’.

And with any decision, please enjoy your popcorn. You earned it.

Related Biz-Souls Episodes:

Episode 201: Bayes, Brains, and the Breakdown of Internet Illusion

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EOyx44QYvEkrzE6Fg6fA8

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

Episode 227: Confidence vs. Intelligence: Why the Loudest Person Isn’t Always the Smartest

• https://open.spotify.com/search/Biz-Souls%20Episode%20227

• https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Biz-Souls+Episode+227+Confidence+vs+Intelligence

Episode 180: Besting AI With Soul

• https://open.spotify.com/search/Biz-Souls%20Episode%20180%20Besting%20AI%20With%20Soul

• https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Biz-Souls+Episode+180+Besting+AI+With+Soul

Episode 125: How to Retrain Your Brain with Kelley Raleigh

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Sl8zVZB6Jx5DMHg8lN9aH

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA4P9HvbKVI

Episode 139: Play for Better Living! Why Play Makes Every Life Better

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EOyx44QYvEkrzE6Fg6fA8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUd8cU1JXg