Deciding “I'll exercise more” works poorly. Deciding “if it's Monday at 6 pm, then I put on my sneakers” works much better. A review of 94 studies with over 8,000 people found these “implementation intentions” substantially raise the odds of reaching a goal. A precise plan hands the starting cue to a situation instead of to willpower.
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.