Behavioral consistency
Behavioral consistency refers to people’s tendency to behave in a manner that matches their past decisions or behaviors.
Behavioral consistency is a judgement heuristic to which we default in order to ease decision making: it is easier to make one decision, and stay consistent to it, than it is to make a new decision every single time we are presented with a problem.
From an evolutionary standpoint, behavioral consistency also serves us well: in a social environment, unpredictable people are less likely to be liked and to thrive among others.
If you make people commit to something, it’s likely that they will try to follow through.
Can I have a dog? “Maybe when you’re older” in hopes I would forget. “How much older?” “Maybe when you’re ten years old.” Every year thereafter I counted down the years remaining until they owed me a dog. And they got me one when i turned 10