Habit-like repetition influences decisions more than previously thought, large-scale study finds

February 28, 2026 - 05:40

Why do people often make decisions in the same pattern and choose the tried and tested, even when there are apparently better alternatives? A large-scale study has found that habit-like repetition influences our choices far more than previously understood, often overriding deliberate evaluation.

The research, led by Professor Stefan Kiebel, demonstrates that the brain's tendency to repeat past actions creates a powerful bias. This bias shapes decisions in a wide range of contexts, from simple perceptual tasks to more complex scenarios. The study suggests that our brains are not always rationally weighing options but are frequently guided by an automatic "repeat what worked before" mechanism.

This influence persists even when the repeated action no longer offers the best outcome. The findings indicate that habitual decision-making is a fundamental, hardwired process in the human brain, not merely a occasional shortcut. This has profound implications for understanding behavior in fields like economics, psychology, and public policy, where models often assume more logical choice-making.

By revealing the sheer strength of this repetition effect, the research challenges the notion of humans as consistently rational actors. It paints a picture of decision-making where past behavior casts a long shadow, subtly yet powerfully steering present and future choices in predictable, patterned ways.