--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You'll often find that people's declared…" description: "\"You'll often find that people's declared preferences - what they say they want - are far different from their revealed preferences - what they actually..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/nir-eyal-1258_different_you-ll-often-find-that-people-s-declared_789577.jpg" --- # You'll often find that people's declared preferences… ![“You'll often find that people's declared preferences - what they say they want - are far different from their revealed preferences - what they actually do.” quote by Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/nir-eyal-1258_different_you-ll-often-find-that-people-s-declared_789577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/nir-eyal-1258_different_you-ll-often-find-that-people-s-declared_789577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/nir-eyal-1258_different_you-ll-often-find-that-people-s-declared_789577.jpg) > “You'll often find that people's declared preferences - what they say they want - are far different from their revealed preferences - what they actually do.” [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People’s stated desires often clash with their actual actions, revealing true preferences. **In simple terms:** Words and deeds differ; actions show real wants. Key Takeaway Observe behavior, not just statements. Themes behavior preferences psychology decision making Mood analytical curious Type motivational insightful When to use this quote - marketing - product design - personal goals Key Concepts behavioral economics cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you test your own preferences? - What influences the gap between say and do? A Different Perspective People can change preferences over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Preference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preference/) ## Related quotes > [“people’s “declared preferences” — what they say they want — are far different from their “revealed preferences” — what they actually do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/people-s-declared-preferences-what-they-say-they-want-are-far/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [When you decide to like something, I mean, you may feel you're sort of innocently putting out your preferences, but actually you're delivering something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/when-you-decide-to-like-something-i-mean-you-may-feel-you-re-sort-of/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [“THE STUDY OF ONESELF AND OTHERS   The economists have a term called “revealed preferences” – it means that the only way you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/the-study-of-oneself-and-others-the-economists-have-a-term-called/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [So persuasive is the power of the institutions we have created that they shape not only our preferences but actually our sense of possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/so-persuasive-is-the-power-of-the-institutions-we-have-created-that/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [“The problem is that while some incentives are obvious, many aren’t. And simply asking people what they want or need doesn’t necessarily work. Let’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-problem-is-that-while-some-incentives-are-obvious-many-aren-t-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A garden full of sweet odours is a garden full of charm, a most precious kind of charm not to be implanted by mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-wilder/a-garden-full-of-sweet-odours-is-a-garden-full-of-charm-a-most/) [Louise Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-wilder/) > [The power of declaring war being with the Legislature, the Executive should do nothing necessarily committing them to decide for war in preference of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-power-of-declaring-war-being-with-the-legislature-the-executive/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sengcan/the-great-way-is-not-difficult-for-those-who-have-no-preferences/) [Sengcan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sengcan/) > [Reading requires a loner's temperament, a high tolerance for silence, and an unhealthy preference for the company of people who are imaginary or dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-samuels/reading-requires-a-loner-s-temperament-a-high-tolerance-for-silence/) [David Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-samuels/) > [He liked to think that Heaven was what each person wanted it to be. 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The time to denounce the bankers was when we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/there-is-too-much-sour-grapes-for-my-taste-in-the-present-american/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [This is the great truth life has to teach us ... that gratification of our individual desires and expression of our personal preferences without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-odlum/this-is-the-great-truth-life-has-to-teach-us-that-gratification-of/) [Hortense Odlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-odlum/) > [It becomes dangerous for somebody who doesn't want their boss to know their sexual preference to use online networks to push for laws supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/it-becomes-dangerous-for-somebody-who-doesn-t-want-their-boss-to-know/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I feel like everyone has a preference. You have women who don't like shorter guys. You have women who like taller guys. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sevyn-streeter/i-feel-like-everyone-has-a-preference-you-have-women-who-don-t-like/) [Sevyn Streeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sevyn-streeter/) ## More by Nir Eyal > [“Imagine a time when your mobile phone rang but you didn’t answer it. Why not? Perhaps the phone was buried in a bag, making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/imagine-a-time-when-your-mobile-phone-rang-but-you-didn-t-answer-it/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“For an example of how perception of a limited supply can increase sales, look no further than Amazon.com. My recent search for a DVD…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/for-an-example-of-how-perception-of-a-limited-supply-can-increase/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“all humans are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain, to seek hope and avoid fear, and finally, to seek social acceptance and avoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/all-humans-are-motivated-to-seek-pleasure-and-avoid-pain-to-seek-hope/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“The more users invest in a product through tiny bits of work, the more valuable the product becomes in their lives and the less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/the-more-users-invest-in-a-product-through-tiny-bits-of-work-the-more/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“Twitter The “feed” has become a social staple of many online products. The stream of limitless information displayed in a scrolling interface makes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/twitter-the-feed-has-become-a-social-staple-of-many-online-products/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“Once a technology has created an association in users’ minds that the product is the solution of choice, they return on their own, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/once-a-technology-has-created-an-association-in-users-minds-that-the/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [ “Instead of asking ‘what problem should I solve?’ ask ‘what problem do I wish someone else would solve for me?’”\[cxxxi\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/instead-of-asking-what-problem-should-i-solve-ask-what-problem-do-i/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“Storing Value Unlike physical goods in the real world, the software that runs our technology products can adapt itself to our needs. To become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/storing-value-unlike-physical-goods-in-the-real-world-the-software/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“From the follower side of the equation, the more Twitter users curate the list of people they follow, the better the service will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/from-the-follower-side-of-the-equation-the-more-twitter-users-curate/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“When bored, many people seek excitement and turn to dramatic news headlines. When we feel overly stressed we seek calm, perhaps finding relief in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/when-bored-many-people-seek-excitement-and-turn-to-dramatic-news/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“Remember and Share - Action is the second step in The Hook. - The action is the simplest behavior in anticipation of reward. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/remember-and-share-action-is-the-second-step-in-the-hook-the-action/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [Habit-forming products often start as nice-to-haves, but once the habit is formed, they become must-haves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/habit-forming-products-often-start-as-nice-to-haves-but-once-the/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“Experiences with finite variability become less engaging because they eventually become predictable. Businesses with finite variability are not inferior per se, they just operate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/experiences-with-finite-variability-become-less-engaging-because-they/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [Fogg states that all humans are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain; to seek hope and avoid fear; and finally, to seek social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/fogg-states-that-all-humans-are-motivated-to-seek-pleasure-and-avoid/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“Stack Overflow’s content is created voluntarily by people who use the site. A staggering 5,000 answers to questions are generated per day by site…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/stack-overflow-s-content-is-created-voluntarily-by-people-who-use-the/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) [Explore all 262 Nir Eyal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) ## More Different quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. 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But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. 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