Depends entirely on the game. I would say I default to normal more often than not, but sometimes I know I want more of a challenge going in and will start on the next highest difficulty, especially if it's a franchise I've played before. I remember starting Persona 4 on hard after playing P3 and feeling confident enough to handle it, and even on replays I've never considered dropping it lower, so I'll most likely do the same for P5. Nier: Automata is out soon and I think I want to start on hard, despite not having played the original, or even having much character action/Platinum experience, simply because I enjoyed the demo enough that I want to explore the potential of the combat beyond the basic level. (And I know I can drop it down if I have to.)
Ultimately I think that's what it comes down to: how much I enjoy, or expect to enjoy, the combat and mechanics and want to explore it to its fullest. Most normal difficulties are designed to only force the player to undergo a cursory exploration of the mechanics, and sometimes that's all I need, but sometimes I know I want more. You could argue I should start on normal and bump it up if I have to, but sometimes you need to get thrown into the deep end to force yourself to explore everything at your disposal.
As a counter-example I'll probably never start a Bethesda RPG on hard, because I've never played one where the mechanics left me wanting to explore them deeper, coupled with the fact that the higher difficulties are always so poorly balanced. Or another example might be the shooter genre in general. It might be the most perfectly designed shooter ever made, but I don't feel confident enough in my skills within that genre to risk starting higher than the default.
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