Smart investors often prefer selling put options over buying them because selling aligns better with probability, time decay, income generation, and disciplined capital allocation.

Higher probability of profitMost options expire worthless or lose value. Statistically, the majority of puts finish out-of-the-money.  Put seller: Collects the premium and wins if the stock stays flat, rises, or falls only modestly (above the strike). Win rate is often 60–80%+ depending on strike and tenor. 
Time decay works in the seller’s favorOptions lose value as expiration approaches (theta decay), all else equal.  Sellers harvest this decay every day. 
Buyers pay for it continuously.
Implied volatility (what options price in) tends to exceed subsequent realized volatility on average. Markets overprice protection.  Selling puts lets investors collect this premium. 
Buying puts means paying an often-inflated insurance cost.