The peak–end rule is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when people judge an experience
largely on how they felt at its peak and its end. There are two reasons for this.
More emotionally intense events lead to better memories than less
intense events. So if you experience a drama, the peak is what’s most moving,
and to the mind that’s the most vivid mental snapshot.
We have a better memory of the end of a sequence — a phenomena
known as recency bias. If you get to eat 3 different desserts in a row,
the second dessert forms a new memory that makes it harder for you to recall the first.
And when you’ve finished all three, your brain remembers the last one most clearly.
However, the rule does not always work.
As we go into an experience, our expectations play a lead role. If they are initially not met,
our prediction error can affect our perception of what’s about to come
next — including the peak. But for now, let’s assume that everything goes according to plan.
Say you go eat out at a cheap diner, and your expectations are low. Then,
the memory of your evening will be formed by the peak and the end. The dry salad,
the bad music, and the dirty bathroom are long forgotten. Later you might
rate the experience as exceptional. But what if your expectations are not met?
If you go out to eat at an expensive restaurant, you can have high expectations. If the initial
experience doesn't meet them, your mind decides that the place isn’t that good after all,
and you’ll see everything through an overly critical lens. The peak is discounted,
the end outrageous, and then the overall experience is rated poorly.
So if expectations are low, the rule works. If they are high,
it's important that they are met right at the start.
Evidence for the rule was established through an experiment in which people
were subjected to an unpleasant experience in two different ways.
for the same amount of time, but then kept it there for another 30 seconds,
during which the temperature was raised by about 1° celsius. The subjects were then
offered the option of which of the two trials to repeat. And as it turns out,
they were more willing to repeat the second trial, despite the prolonged exposure to the cold water.
Kahneman, Fredrickson, Schreiber, and Redelmeier,
who conducted the study in 1993, concluded that "people chose the
long trial simply because they liked the memory of it better than the alternative”.
If you happen to run a restaurant and manage to meet your customers expectations,
you can create a wonderful peak, finish with a fantastic end and deliver an
experience that’s not only excellent, but will also be remembered as such.
Now what do you think about the rule? And did you ever make your own peak-end experience? Please
share your thoughts and what you remember from this video in the comments below!
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