A disease threatens 600 people. Plan A will save 200 lives for sure: 72% of participants pick it. Describe the exact same plan as “400 people will die,” and only 22% choose it. The numbers are identical; only the wrapping changes. Tversky and Kahneman showed in 1981 that how a choice is phrased can flip it completely.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.