How people remember an experience with a company influences repeat purchases and how they tell friends and acquaintances about it. That's why it's important for business owners to understand that some of these memories can be controlled and optimized. This applies to both positive and negative experiences. After all, people mainly remember the peak moment and the end of an experience. In this article, we explain what the peak-end rule is, give examples on how it is applied in practice and provide tips on how every entrepreneur can apply it in his/her own business.
What is the peak-end rule?
The Peak-End Rule is a psychological phenomenon that describes how people form their memories of experiences based on two key moments: the peak (peak) and the end (end) of the experience. (Kahneman & Frederickson, 1993).
The peak can be either positive or negative. It is about the most intense moment within the entire experience. The other important element is the end. An experience lasts for a certain period of time. It can be short or mobile numbers list long, but there is always an end. The brain combines that peak with the end of the experience and calculates an average, so to speak. That average then forms the starting point for remembering an experience.
How was this investigated?
Researchers used only one container of cold water for this experiment. Or actually two containers. Subjects were divided into two groups:
The first group was asked to hold their hands in a container of cold water (14°C) for 60 seconds. They were then asked how unpleasant they found the experience.
The second group was asked to hold their hands in a container of cold water (14°C) for 60 seconds. Then they were asked to hold their hands in a container of slightly less cold water (15°C, which is still very cold) for another 30 seconds. They were then asked how unpleasant they found that experience.
Objectively, the first group came out best. After all, they were done after 60 seconds. The second group did the same 60 seconds, plus another 30 seconds in almost as cold (and painful) water. Interestingly, the first group found the experience more unpleasant than the second. That's because of the end of the second group's experience.
Both groups experienced the same negative peak, namely their hands in cold water of 14°C. The second group had a different ending, with slightly less cold water of 15°C. They rated the end as less negative, so the average also picked up less negative. How long the overall experience lasted (50% longer for the second group) did not matter for memory.
Peak-end rule (rule of peak and expiration)
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