In 1837 Georg Ohm discovered the Ohm’s law. Out of the many applications that we have from his law, one of the most seminal ones is the earth wire.
When current leaks, it would invariably go through the earth wire, the reason for it being that it offers the least resistance for the flow of current.
This fact has probably saved thousands of lives.
There’s something remarkably similar between the way how current flows and how the human mind works.
Our mind chooses the path of least resistance when it’s given a work (for the majority of us). It would try to find the easiest way to get a job done and once the mind has figured out a solution, we stop thinking and simply follow the solution.
So, a person reading a webpage is always more likely to click a link that’s easier to spot (lower resistance).
We generally tend to behave in a way, which conserves energy. Call it the behavior ingrained in us by evolution or call it something programmed into our genes.
We would rather drive than walk, copy than come up with something original. You’ll always have exceptions but this is true for a large majority.
Our brains have evolved to be “brilliantly uncreative.” Edward de Bono.
We make hundreds or thousands of decisions each and every day – Small, subtle decisions, big decisions, unconscious decisions. Because of the large number of decisions to be made a time comes when we start creating mental models and following a set pattern, a set pattern of eating, of browsing a web page, of reading etc.
Key Takeaway: Users are more likely to click on links, which are easier to spot.
