Forces of Change
Loss Aversion
The tendency to feel the pain of losing something more intensely than the pleasure of gaining something of equal value.
Loss aversion means users will fight harder to keep what they have than to gain something new, even when the new thing is objectively better. This is why 'free trial' beats 'discount'—a trial lets users experience gains without committing to loss. It's also why users stick with bad solutions: the pain of the known is still less frightening than the pain of the unknown. In switching dynamics, loss aversion amplifies the Habit force and the Anxiety force simultaneously.