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KahnemanBias

Anchoring

Якорение · Эффект якоря · Anchoring effect

Any number you see first quietly pulls every subsequent estimate toward it - even when the anchor is irrelevant or random.

Plain explanation

Show people the last two digits of their social security number, then ask them to bid on a bottle of wine. The bids correlate with the random number. The mind doesn't dismiss anchors - it adjusts away from them, and the adjustment is almost always too small.

Why it matters

Negotiations, salary discussions, real estate, project estimates - all heavily anchored. The first number on the table sets the floor and ceiling of the conversation.

Practical example

A vendor asks for $50k. Your counter is $35k. Without the anchor you'd have proposed $20k. The anchor moved you up.

How to use
  1. 1Decide your number BEFORE you see theirs. Write it down.
  2. 2In negotiations, anchor first if you can. The first number written controls the range.
  3. 3If they anchored you, ask yourself: «what's my real number?» and then move past their range, not just adjust within it.
Read the original book

This part of the knowledge base is inspired by the book. Go to the Ukrainian edition to explore the concept in depth.

Source notes
  • · Методичка по Канеману - якорь