You guys are weird.
In the first ever post over here on Info Bites I uploaded an article titled ‘YOU are IRRATIONAL’ and somehow it’s among the most loved articles; for some reason you guys like being called irrational.
So, I thought why not start this year with more reasons as to why you are irrational.
1. Shiny Object Syndrome
Shiny object syndrome is a continual state of distraction brought on by an ongoing belief that there is something new worth pursuing.
You will always want what you don’t have. By definition, you can’t want what you already have.
I’ve noticed that whenever I start a new habit and get consistent at it for a while, I’ll notice someone else do some other interesting habit and want to do that instead of continuing the habit I’m working on.
But I’ve realized sometimes best to resist that urge and continue staying consistent with whatever I’m doing.
(I thought I’d mention this one as it fits the New Year’s theme of habits.)
2. Relativity Bias
You can make 2000 dollars a month and feel like you’re a Chad or you can make the same amount of money and feel like a loser.
It depends on the people you’re around. If you’re from a poor village where everyone makes a fraction of that amount, you’ll feel like a champion.
If you have rich friends who are making exponentially more money than you, then you’ll feel like a loser.
The amount being earned is the same, we just judge ourselves according to the people around us.
I’ll give you another example.
When you’re buying something for $25 you may even take extra effort and wait in line or drive to another store just to save $8. However, if you’re buying something worth $400 you wouldn’t bother making an extra effort to save $8.
In both cases, the saved money is the same; 8 bucks. But it’s the price comparison with other products which changes your perception of it.
That’s what the relativity bias is about.
3. Choice Paradoxes
The more similar two options are, the harder it gets to decide between the options, even though the differences matter lesser. This is Fredkin's paradox.
On the way home, I get annoyed trying to decide which route is faster. The option is not even between two routes, just two entrances.
What annoys me is how insignificant the difference in timing is between the two routes.
Guess what’s the difference in timing?
Two minutes? No.
30 seconds? No.
It’s a maximum of five seconds!
This includes other choices like— choosing between two t-shirts which just have slightly different shades, two different glasses which almost look the same, what flavour of marmalade to use, etc.
This is something I’ve mentioned before in an article about decisions
4. Negativity Bias
According to a Gallup poll in 2013, 40% people disengage from work if ignored, while 22% people disengage from work if criticized.
People would rather have negative attention than no attention directed towards them at all!
This explains the attention seeker behaviour and why people remain in toxic friendships and relationships.
Another negativity bias is loss aversion-
People tend to prefer avoiding losses over acquiring equivalent gains. People fear losing things more than they fear gaining them.
We also tend to pay greater information to negative information than positive information. We remember criticism better than we remember praise.
This is because we’re wired for survival. Think of a caveman who’s relaxing and has plenty of food, he doesn’t need to use his focus at that time. But if suddenly a hyena comes, then his attention is required.
This is why a good portion of news is negative, they get more reads with negative titles including death, murder, r@pe, and so on.
5. Underestimating Large Goals
Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”- Bill Gates
I feel this is another one which is especially important since it’s the new year time.
Something weird I’ve noticed is that when I think of accomplishing big goals like having a million followers or making a hundred million dollars, It doesn’t seem too hard.
But when I think of smaller, more actionable or realistic goals it seems harder.
When I think of reaching 500 followers, I think it might actually be a challenge. But when I think of tens of millions of subscribers I don’t visualise how hard it really is.
This is why I’ve realized going for small goals and nailing them is important, after all, many small wins lead to a big win.
I hope you liked this one, and I wish you a great year ahead :)