The Peak-End Rule is a cognitive bias that affects how people remember past experiences. This rule suggests that people tend to remember an experience based on the emotions they felt at the peak of the experience and at its end, rather than the overall length of the experience. The peak of an experience refers to the most intense or emotional part of the experience, while the end refers to the final moments of the experience. Research has shown that the Peak-End Rule can have a significant impact on people's memories of past experiences. For example, if a person has a long and enjoyable vacation, but it ends on a negative note, such as a missed flight or lost luggage, they may remember the entire vacation as a negative experience. Similarly, if a person has a painful medical procedure that ends on a positive note, such as receiving pain medication, they may remember the overall experience as less painful than it actually was. The Peak-End Rule is a type of heuristic, which is a mental shortcut that people use to make decisions and judgments. This bias can be measured by comparing the memory of the average experience to the memory of the peak and the end of that experience. This rule can be used to help people make decisions based on their past experiences, but it can also lead to errors in judgment due to the bias. Understanding the Peak-End Rule can be helpful in various fields, such as marketing, healthcare, and education. For example, marketers can use this rule to create more memorable experiences for their customers by ensuring that the peak and end of the experience are positive. Healthcare providers can use this rule to improve patient satisfaction by focusing on making the end of a medical procedure as positive as possible. Educators can use this rule to create more engaging and memorable learning experiences for their students by ensuring that the peak and end of the lesson are positive.
cognitive bias, emotions, mental shortcut, heuristic, memories
CITATION : "Matthew Anderson. 'Peak-End Rule.' Design+Encyclopedia. https://design-encyclopedia.com/?E=355615 (Accessed on August 28, 2025)"
The Peak-End Rule is a way of thinking that helps us remember experiences. It is based on the idea that when we look back on an event, we tend to remember the most intense or emotional part of the experience (the peak) and how it ended (the end). This means that memories of experiences are often more influenced by how strong the peak was, and how it ended, than by the overall length of the experience.
Cognitive biases, fallacies, peak, end, memories, emotional intensity.
The Peak-End Rule is a cognitive bias, which suggests that people tend to remember a past experience based on the emotions they felt at the peak of the experience and at its end. It is a type of heuristic, which is a mental shortcut used to make decisions and judgments. This bias can be measured by comparing the memory of the average experience to the memory of the peak and the end of that experience. This rule can be used to help people make decisions based on their past experiences, but it can also lead to errors in judgment due to the bias.
Peak-End Rule, Cognitive Bias, Heuristic, Memory, Judgment, Decision-Making.
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