The Art of Letting Go: Stop Overthinking, Stop Negative Spirals, and Find Emotional Freedom (The Path to Calm Book 13)

by Nick Trenton

Fear of change is a common human emotion, and it can be driven by a variety of psychological factors. Zaval, Markowitz, and Weber (2015) conducted a study to investigate people's preferences for maintaining the status quo versus taking a risk and making a change. They found that individuals tend to be loss averse, meaning they are more sensitive to losses than gains. This loss aversion leads people to overvalue the costs of changing and undervalue the potential benefits. In the study, participants were presented with different scenarios and asked to make a choice. The researchers found that people were more likely to take risks when the choice was framed as a loss, rather than a gain. This suggests that people are more motivated by the fear of losing something they already have than by the potential benefits of change. Overall, the study highlights the importance of understanding the psychological factors that underlie people's fear of change and refusing to let go of what is familiar.