What affects a consumer’s

acceptance of change

Why are consumers hesitant to give up old benefits and often resistant to

incur new costs when they’re either retaining the benefits they currently

enjoy or gaining new benefits? The answer, like all things related to psychol-

ogy, is fluid. However, the influences that lead to resistance generally boil

down to the following few fundamental truths:

 ✓ Humans are sensitive creatures. Chalk it up to the law of survival —

people are poignantly aware of the concept of give-and-take. You can see

this sensitivity clearly in almost any toddler; even though adults aren’t

so uninhibited, the sensitivity remains — humans don’t like to lose

things, and they sure do like to gain things. As a result, the greater the

required changes, the greater the potential of resistance.

 ✓ What people perceive in the world is a response to individual refer-

ence points they hold. These reference points often come from culture

influence or social groups that people surround themselves with.

 ✓ The bad outweighs the good. As individuals, people often focus more

on the negatives of change than they do on the benefits that come with

that change. It’s easier to remain the same than it is to modify behavior