In 1975, Ellen Langer sold $1 lottery tickets. Some buyers picked their own; others were simply handed one. Before the draw, she offered to buy them back: those who had chosen asked for over $8 on average, versus under $2 for the rest. The odds were identical, but the act of choosing created an illusion of control.
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.