Ainslie (1975) + Phelps & Pollak (1968) — present bias / hyperbolic temporal discounting: people overvalue immediate rewards relative to delayed ones

Claim: People overvalue immediate rewards relative to delayed ones (hyperbolic / temporal discounting; Ainslie 1975; term "present bias" via Phelps & Pollak 1968).

Source: Ainslie (1975); Phelps & Pollak (1968).

Confidence: Verified.

Caveat: Present bias is about reward timing; it predicts users prefer the instant-answer tool, not that they'll necessarily buy. Pair instant value with a low-friction next step.

Why this matters for Candid: A tool that returns an answer NOW beats "fill in this form and we'll email you a quote in 2 days." The immediacy is itself a reward that present bias makes disproportionately attractive. Pair with the R2 — Default to a directional range, ungated, with a loud "this is a ballpark" — not a precise gated quote from Brief A — ungated + instant answer is the canonical pro-tool design.