I think it's a little bit of both. That, and the safety people feel by travelling well trodden paths. They almost always lead to certain conclusions.
The road less travelled on the other hand, now that interests me more :)
like the picture
Some people like to be safe and some like to explore the less well known routes and some like to carve their own. Most of life is basically mapped by our genetics and our environment but we do have choices and even small choices can add up to big changes.