In 1968, Robert Zajonc showed that made-up words and unfamiliar characters were rated more pleasant the more often people had seen them, with no clue what they meant. A review of over 200 experiments confirmed this “mere exposure effect,” which works even when images flash too fast to be consciously seen. Familiarity quietly passes itself off as taste.
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.