A team, led by an Indian-origin researcher Akshay Rao of University of Minnesota, has shown that decision making is simplified when a consumer actually considers a third, less attractive option.

"In some ways, it is quite straightforward. When a consumer is faced with a choice, the presence of a relatively unattractive option improves the choice share of the most similar, better item," said Rao.

Researchers have based their findings on an analysis of the brains of a group of shoppers who volunteered for the study, the 'ScienceDaily' reported.

The volunteers had their brains scanned while they made choices between several sets of equally appealing options as well as choice sets that included a third, somewhat less attractive option.

Overall, the presence of the extra, "just okay" possibility systematically increased preference for the better options.

The fMRI scans showed that when making a choice between only two, equally preferred options; subjects tended to display irritation because of the difficulty of the choice process. The presence of the third option made the choice process easier and relatively more pleasurable.

"The technical evidence for our conclusion is quite clear, based on the imaging data. When considering three options, our 'buyers' displayed a decrease in activation of the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with negative emotions.

"Seemingly, subjects were using simple heuristics – short-cuts or decision rules – rather than a more complex evaluation process, when they were evaluating three-item choice sets," Rao said.