helpful article on cognitive biases

Started by SheliaH • 6 replies • 270 views

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SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

This one identifies 50 cognitive biases we may or may not be aware of when interacting with people or making decisions. I think all of us have had some (all) of these - and still have more than a few. No one's perfect, but I think when we recognize some of our habits that may impact the decisions we make, we should strive to do better - especially in HOA land, where the heart of what we do (or did, in my case) are about our relationships with PEOPLE.
Read and ponder!

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/50-cognitive-biases-in-the-modern-world/

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

BillD16 (Texas)
Posts: 973

Posted:

Great stuff! Thanks!

BillD

HOA Board ex-President
Austin, Texas USA

“You can’t put too much water in a nuclear reactor”

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

I think a lot of these biases result from creating a mental map of how the world works. It's a shortcut and likely has survival value, because who has time to reason from first principles when a lion is chasing us?

Unfortunately many never update their mental maps, even if the evidence suggests that some parts of the map aren't useful. Theory: loss of the map is so threatening that it's better to risk occasional bad outcomes, even if the bad outcome is death. I think it's due to having a limited brain in a complex world in constant flux.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

Well Cathy, you've just described a huge reason why things go on in HOA land (and everywhere else) the way they do. Sometimes we jump from crisis to crisis (because it's, well a crisis) and never get the time and space to stop and reflect and look at things from a broader perspective.

I think selfishness also plays a factor - these days, we're in a major "survival of the fittest" mode (as long as I get mine, I don't give a flying F what happens to everyone else!) That's a sad way to live - we are all going through something and if you continue with that F you attitude, you may get everything you want from a material sense, but look around and realize you've stomped on everyone who ever cared about you or could have made a great friend or colleague. Instead everyone looks at you and sneers, thinking you ain't - dog dookey and want nothing to do with you.

My mother often says people live their funerals - we will all leave this earth one day (or step down from the board in this discussion) and you have to wonder if people will be sorry or relieved to see you go.

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

BillD16 (Texas)
Posts: 973

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By CathyA3 on 04/06/2022 10:43 AM
I think a lot of these biases result from creating a mental map of how the world works. It's a shortcut and likely has survival value, because who has time to reason from first principles when a lion is chasing us?

Unfortunately many never update their mental maps, even if the evidence suggests that some parts of the map aren't useful. Theory: loss of the map is so threatening that it's better to risk occasional bad outcomes, even if the bad outcome is death. I think it's due to having a limited brain in a complex world in constant flux.

There’s a book you might enjoy called Influence: Science and Practice by Dr. Robert Cialdini. Wikipedia has a short but largely accurate summary at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence:_Science_and_Practice

It’s worth reading. And - unlike many psychology books - it’s quite readable.

BillD

HOA Board ex-President
Austin, Texas USA

“You can’t put too much water in a nuclear reactor”

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

I like that: we live our funerals. When I'm tempted to behave badly, I ask myself if I'd be happy to see it engraved on my headstone. Turns out I'm pretty careful about that headstone...

JohnT38 (South Carolina)
Posts: 1,631

Posted:

Very interesting.

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