Asymmetric What Now?

Researchers call this asymmetric dominance. In plain terms: when you can't decide between two options, adding a third worse-but-similar option pushes you toward the one it resembles. Your brain doesn't judge things in isolation — it craves comparison.

The decoy is always built to be clearly worse than the target option but competitive with the other. It reframes the whole decision. You stop asking "do I want this?" and start asking "which is the better deal?" — which is exactly what the seller wants.