Re: Painful Puzzle
people respond inconsistently because their preference is... well, it's wrong. It's based in a reasoning that at some point has a flaw, which makes this happen.
Theoretically we could all be wrong whenever we say we prefer something over another thing, but ultimately "real" preference IS transferable. It just depends on what you want more. If you want A more tan B and B more than C, then you want A more than C also. Even if you don't know it.
The OP's error was that he stated that then it must be true that you prefer A over all the other options he could give following the same patter (more years, less pain), but that is ultimately wrong, because then you're changing the option that you're presenting the person, and you may present an option that is better overall than A. This would also of course mean that it's better than B and C.
Summarizing: People DO prefer A over C if they prefer A over B and B over C. But they may not know it. They may think they prefer C over A. But that can be wrong. Especially if you haven't yet provided them with the other alternatives.
No one knows for sure what they'll prefer. My guess is you just have to experience it and see for yourself what you liked best (then again, you can be wrong there too, but that's much less likely to produce major errors)
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