People want to have control of their lives.  They don’t like it when things are out of control.  For example, retirement for most people is a scary topic that they just refuse to think about rationally.  They know it’s coming and they’ve been told that they must plan for it.  That’s why they will go out of their way to purchase the promise of something that will provide annuity interest for them in their retirement.It’s very simple to understand.  This world is full of uncertainties, and the more you can pile up things around you to give you the illusion of certainty, the happier most people appear to be.