Would you believe it if we told you there two types of people in the world — those who are afraid of the future, and those who embrace it?
Volvo is constantly trying to understand the people who drive their cars, so they hired Vox Creative to conduct an experiment to test this hypothesis by placing people in a room with two doors. People were told that Door 2 was the exit, and the only way to find out what was behind Door 1 was to walk through it. Ultimately, more than 100 subjects were a part of The Choice: You can see the results of the full experiment to gain a better understanding of why some people embrace what they don’t know while others play it safe. Or, see for yourself: fill out the poll and watch the videos below to see if you can predict who will choose which door.
Subject #30
Age: 27
Birthplace: Los Angeles, Calif.
Occupation: Investment professional
Poll
Which door do you think Subject #30 will choose?
Subject #22
Age: 28
Birthplace: Nanjing, China
Occupation: Director of Portfolio Management
Poll
Which door do you think Subject #22 will choose?
Subject #53
Age: 40
Birthplace: Rochester, N.Y.
Occupation: Senior director, marketing strategy
Poll
Which door do you think Subject #53 will choose?
Subject #55
Age: 33
Birthplace: Hamilton, Bermuda
Occupation: Mental health therapist
Poll
Which door do you think Subject #55 will choose?
Subject #46
Age: 31
Birthplace: San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Occupation: Product manager
Poll
Which door do you think Subject #46 will choose?
If you’re like most people, it wasn’t easy to predict who will choose which door. One observation this experiment — and this poll — exemplifies is that what we think people will do, and what they actually do, can be two very different things. These five subjects had their own reasons for choosing Door 1 or Door 2 that were completely unique to them. The full experiment provides more insight into the decision-making process of many of the individuals who participated, and why some people embrace the future while others fear it.