Adults completed online reading sessions in which sometimes they selected a book extract and other times a computer selected it. Extracts came from Quick Reads—short, accessible books by well-known authors—and options were balanced so choices did not reflect better content. After reading, adults rated enjoyment and how much they would pay. Choosing increased enjoyment ratings and willingness to pay. The effect persisted when choices were only between genres rather than specific titles. Small opportunities for autonomy, such as offering two options, can support sustained reading enjoyment and higher perceived value.
We invited adults to take part in an online reading task. On some occasions, they could select which book extract they wanted to read; on others, the computer made the choice for them. All the extracts came from the Quick Reads collection developed by the Reading Agency-short, punchy, and accessible books designed to draw readers in, written by well-known authors.
The results were striking. People consistently enjoyed extracts more when they had chosen them, and they were willing to spend more money on those books. Critically, the books themselves weren't "better"-we carefully balanced the options across participants. What mattered was the act of choosing. To test whether this effect depended on knowing the exact book, we repeated the experiment. This time, participants only chose between popular genres-for example, "mystery" versus " fantasy." In some trials, they made the choice; in others, the computer randomly assigned them
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