ABSTRACT
As social psychologists, but also as consumers and citizens, we have always been fascinated by Ellen Langer’s (1975) work on the illusion of control. Not only does this work wake our students up during our classes (if at all necessary), it also tells us a great deal about the way the human mind operates. Our students are always quite surprised to learn about the impact of manipulations of control on people’s willingness to keep lottery tickets (Langer, 1975) or on their health and longevity (Rodin, 1986; Rodin & Langer, 1977). Clearly, Langer’s findings help us understand the notion of perceived control.
