Following the Path That Requires No Decision

Once a default is established, most behaviour flows along it without further examination. Defaults are powerful because they require no active choice to remain in force. Some defaults survive examination and stay. Others are replaced once they are seen clearly. Making a default visible is the first step toward deciding whether it should remain. Environments such as casino sites not on gamstop are sometimes used because they leave more of the relevant decisions with the participant rather than with an automated sequence.

The act of choosing a default consciously changes the relationship to it. Visibility remains the precondition for any accurate decision about what to keep or change. Restored capacity appears first in low-stakes moments and later in more demanding ones. Maintaining both automatic and deliberate modes is more flexible than living entirely in either one. Most people already have the necessary sensitivity. What is often missing is regular opportunity to exercise it without high stakes.