Thinking is hard.
As a result, we try to make use of mental shortcuts to make decisions faster.
These shortcuts are called heuristics, and while they are useful, many times, they lead us down rabbit holes.
The other day, I sat close to a dude in a meeting.
As we got talking, I found that he had relatives from the Middle East.
I concluded that he was a foreigner and a student.
Well, it turns out that I was wrong on both counts.
The dude was neither a student, nor a foreigner, and heuristics lost yet another battle.
The one that amuses me the most is the media’s use of statistics.
You hear stuff like, “70% of people who eat ABC will have XYZ in ten years”
What they don’t tell you is the number of people they are basing that statistic on.
70% of 100000 is 70000 and if that’s the case, maybe ABC has the effect they claim it has.
However, 70% of 10 is 7 people!!!
I’m not saying 7 people are not important, but any effects observed in them is likely due to causes other than eating ABC.
But here’s the interesting thing: Researchers almost always tell you all the numbers involved in arriving at their conclusions.
Yet, the media likes to conveniently ignore the details, while focusing on sensationalism.
And because of heuristics, we gobble up anything they place before us – hook, line, and sinker.
So, what’s my point in all these?
Jesus said, ‘…be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves’ (Matthew 10:16).
A good way towards manifesting that wisdom is knowing when you are misperceiving the truth because of an ‘over-reliance’ on heuristics.
I’m not asking you to be over-analytical and critical in every situation.
All I’m telling you to do is to be aware.
It can change your life!
