And again, in conversations that fit this pattern, what I notice is that everything the person expresses indicates they want to make this change. They only say positive things about it. They seem eager and hopeful. They give reasons in favor of doing it, and reasons against not doing it.
A somewhat smaller factor in the psychology of this I believe is not quite mentioned by the previous comments (not-yet-verbalized ways in which things could go wrong, general anxiety about something not yet being considered) is that from the speaker’s perspective, they have a plan laid in front of them with nothing but apparent upsides, which leads to a natural sense of suspicion. For example, if somebody saw an advertised service that touted nothing but benefits, one would naturally look for the “catch”—some factor showing how the service wasn’t what it was presented to be. Likewise, in the case of a personal choice that seemsentirely positive, perhaps the speaker feels as though there should be a catch to their plan. And, they may experience discomfort from not knowing what it may be.
A somewhat smaller factor in the psychology of this I believe is not quite mentioned by the previous comments (not-yet-verbalized ways in which things could go wrong, general anxiety about something not yet being considered) is that from the speaker’s perspective, they have a plan laid in front of them with nothing but apparent upsides, which leads to a natural sense of suspicion. For example, if somebody saw an advertised service that touted nothing but benefits, one would naturally look for the “catch”—some factor showing how the service wasn’t what it was presented to be. Likewise, in the case of a personal choice that seems entirely positive, perhaps the speaker feels as though there should be a catch to their plan. And, they may experience discomfort from not knowing what it may be.