Commitment And Consistency Bias: Revealing Why You Rarely Change

Commitment and consistency bias is our tendency to act according to previous commitments we have made. A reluctance to change our course of action once we have chosen it. We are creatures of habit. It’s the reason why we value something more after investing ourselves in it. It’s why we have trouble updating our point of view and ridding ourselves of bad habits. Because once we commit to something, we are likely only to commit much more. Charlie Munger, the billionaire investor, wrote, “The brain of man conserves programming space by being reluctant to change, which is a form of inconsistency avoidance. We see this in all human habits, constructive and destructive.”

The bias exists because it’s a shortcut that generally helps us navigate the world. Your brain is not infinitely huge. However powerful this biological supercomputer is, its processing rates are limited. To save memory, the brain decides it’s better to stay committed to things without second thought. No need to analyze or overthink or reevaluate your position. Do what you have always done. Move on. Change isn’t needed. It is at the heart of logic and stability: the consistent person sticks to their beliefs, words, and decisions.

The commitment bias makes perfect sense from an evolutionary standpoint. If people didn’t act consistently with their previous commitments, decisions, and self-perceptions, we would be unable to cooperate. I think we can agree that it’s easier to collaborate with someone who does not change their mind every five or so minutes. Thus the bias is rooted in the human desire to be coherent to ourselves and others. And it works in our favor most of the time. Until it is used against us in marketing, negotiations, and relationships.

The key element is, of course, the commitment itself. A public or private promise. When you commit to something, especially in public, you are more likely to stick to it. Your actions are influenced by your self-image. That means you tend to behave in a way that confirms your past commitments. Like if you publicly declare your intention to exercise regularly or quit smoking, you are more likely to hit the gym or not pull out that cigarette to avoid feeling inconsistent. That brings us to our second component: consistency. People inherently value consistency. Faced with conflicting behaviors and beliefs, we experience cognitive dissonance—in the form of psychological discomfort. Consistency is both a social norm and innate human need. Behavior follows commitment. Misalignment feels terrible.

Real-life implications of commitment and consistency bias:

• Marketing and sales: foot-in-the-door technique: a salesperson might start with a small request, like signing up for a newsletter, and later ask for a larger commitment, such as purchasing their product. Once you have committed to the small step, you are more likely to agree to the larger one to remain consistent. Loyalty programs function the same way: a customer who frequently uses the store’s loyalty card may feel compelled to shop there again—further reinforced if they get benefits or discounts;

• Personal relationships: public declarations: when someone publicly declares a commitment, like a New Year’s resolution, they are more likely to follow through to avoid being seen as inconsistent; friends or colleagues can continue supporting a decision even if it is suboptimal or unhealthy to maintain consistency with their past actions or statements;

• Workplace: managerial commitments: leaders who make commitments concerning company values are more likely to enforce and adhere to them, reverberating across the company culture; similarly, employees who commit to specific goals during performance reviews tend to work persistently to meet these self-imposed expectations to stay coherent with their identity.

How you might use the commitment bias as a mental model: (1) leverage it for positive change; if you want to build a new habit, make a public commitment, as this will increase your likelihood of following through due to the desire to remain consistent; (2) recognize and mitigate the negatives, periodically reviewing your commitments to see if they are serving your best interests or have become outdated, as you may be sticking to invalid commitments for consistency’s sake; (3) build in flexibility and feedback, understanding that changing opinions is acceptable and inviting trusted peers to challenge what you think to prevent blind spots; (4) utilize in negotiations, using techniques like the foot-in-the-door to get initial buy-in, then building upon it when persuading someone.

The commitment bias is an invaluable mental model for comprehending why we stick to our choices and how our past commitments shape our future behavior. Understand it and you can leverage it to shift your personal and professional trajectory. Remain open to change. Interfere where new evidence disproves old ways of doing things. Staying consistent with terrible methods is exactly that: a terrible method.