A new study from the University of Waterloo has discovered why people prefer simple explanations and straightforward ways to achieve goals.
It turns out our love for simplicity is tied to our desire to get things done efficiently.
“This research shows that simplicity isn’t just something we value in explanations—it’s also how we think about achieving results in the easiest and most efficient way,” explains Claudia Sehl, the study’s lead author and a PhD candidate in developmental psychology at Waterloo.
Sehl worked with professors Ori Friedman and Stephanie Denison on the study, which involved seven experiments and 2,820 participants.
In each experiment, people were presented with simple and complex explanations for an event or strategies to reach a goal. Overwhelmingly, they chose the simpler options.
Why simplicity wins
The study found that people are drawn to explanations with common and reliable causes.
For example, if something could be explained by a familiar, dependable cause, it was seen as helpful and easy to understand.
In contrast, rare or unreliable causes were viewed as confusing and less appealing.
“Essentially, the more common and dependable the cause, the more satisfying it was—not just for explaining what happened, but also for figuring out how to achieve similar results in the future,” Sehl said.
Another key finding was that using fewer causes to explain an event or achieve a goal is seen as faster and more effective. This suggests that our preference for simplicity in both areas is guided by the same mental process.
Efficiency is key
“Our study suggests that people value efficiency—the idea of doing more with less. This focus on efficiency shapes how we think about explanations and how we approach tasks,” said professor Friedman.
The research highlights a shared preference for simplicity in both understanding events and accomplishing goals.
Whether we’re explaining why something happened or figuring out the best way to solve a problem, simpler options seem faster, easier, and more reliable.
The study, Doing things efficiently: Testing an account of why simple explanations are satisfying, was published in Cognitive Psychology. It reminds us that simplicity isn’t just appealing—it’s an essential part of how we think and act in everyday life.
