Why We Love Variety (And You Should, Too!)

Variety is the spice of life!
        
That saying can be traced to 18th-Century British poet William Cowper, although it may have been in use as a proverb prior.  His original quote was:

"Variety's the very spice of life
That gives it all it's flavour."

The funny thing is when it comes to food, the majority of folks prefer consistency to variety.  As many as 70% of respondents report ordering items they'd had before during their most recent restaurant visit, according to a recent article from Nation's Restaurant News (http://nrn.com/consumer-trends/npd-majority-restaurant-customers-won-t-try-new-menu-items).  Only 27% ventured out to try something new.  We actually see this quite a bit at Cater Nation.....many customers have a tendency to stick to the same restaurants and/or the same meal choices despite having a long list of options.  This got us thinking, "Why is that?".

First, there is an innate fear of change.  We've all experienced that on some level, either consciously or subconsciously.

Delving further into the psychology of change, it turns out people have a very reliable and tangible preference for things that have been around longer.  Subconsciously, we believe that longevity = goodness.  Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson shared this in an article on the Huffington Post website - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heidi-grant-halvorson-phd/why-we-dont-like-change_b_1072702.html.

From Dr. Halvorson's article:
      
"In my favorite example, study participants were given a piece of European chocolate. It was described to them as having first been sold in its region either 73 years ago or 3 years ago. Guess which group rated the chocolate as better-tasting?" [That would be the chocolate that was first sold 73 years ago.]

According to the study's findings, most of us will gravitate towards the tried and true.....something that has been around for a long time.

(Of course, this doesn't seem to apply to technology, does it?)

When choosing a restaurant, do you pick the safe choice (the place you always go) or do you venture out into the unknown and try that restaurant around the corner that you drive by every day, but have never visited?  When you visit your favorite restaurant, do you order one of the specials of the day or stick with your favorite menu item?  Do you have a tendency to only pick certain cuisines (Mexican, Italian, American, Chinese, etc.)?

Is your answer yes?  If so, we think you are missing out!  Next time you pick a restaurant, get out of your comfort zone and try that place your co-worker recommended.  Visiting your favorite restaurant or selecting a menu for an upcoming meeting or event?  Find something on the menu you've never tried before.  You may just find that variety is the spice of life, and the more flavours the better!

Reference: November 2010 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103110001599).)