Thought Traps as the Cause of Bad Decisions in Human Life

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Thinking Traps
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Thinking traps or cognitive bias are one of the most widespread causes of incorrect or bad decisions that affect the life of the individual and the lives of people surrounding him or her. My friend, who is a student, once told me that she felt extremely unhappy with her life, although as such there were no particularly negative experiences that could make her displeased with the way she lived. She also did not have depression that could affect her well-being.

My friend believed that the faculty she chose as her major (anthropology) was less prestigious and promising than the faculty of law. Even though she loved anthropology and the way it was taught at the college, she insisted that she would only be happy if she studied law because it was more prestigious and provided more opportunities in the future. Ultimately, my friend had decided to transfer from her faculty to the faculty of law, but after two years of studying admitted that she regretted the decision.

Thinking Traps

Campbell, Whitehead, and Finkelstein (2009) note that the brain can be tricked into false judgments, which eventually lead to the wrong decision. Red-flag conditions (such as misleading experiences, misleading pre-judgments, inappropriate self-interests, and inappropriate attachments) affect the individual’s decision-making. In other research, the authors indicate that such type of bias (when a person makes decisions based on a specific factor or criterion) is called the anchoring-and-adjustment heuristic (Cossette, 2015).

It is possible to say that the historical anchor, which affected my friend’s decision was the focusing illusion. According to Beja (2015), “focused thinking makes a focal item salient, which invokes strong emotions” (p. 873). In this case, the friend focused on stereotypes about the law faculties where more opportunities and job offers are provided to the students and the overall perceptions of such faculties as “elite”.

The underlying mechanism involved in focusing illusion is similar to those engaged in all other perceptional traps (e.g., attachment to past decisions, the halo effect, etc.), namely, attributing disproportional weight to the perceived information. Additionally, all irrational abnormalities, perceptional and cognitive biases affecting individuals’ decision making are equally hard to detect. As Hammond, Keeney, and Raiffa (1998) state, the main danger associated with decision-making traps is their invisibility. It means that to make a smart and successful choice, a person must find a way to reduce possible biases.

Misleading experiences affect our assessment of situations because we either misinterpret the cause-and-effect pattern or rely on the emotion related to that pattern which affects our decision-making process. Misleading pre-judgments make us fixate on a decision or event made in the past, thus creating a cognitive trap where we rely on plans that worked previously but might not be working correctly now. At last, inappropriate self-interests and attachments can conflict either with our responsibilities or with the rational decision we have to make.

To minimize perceptional biases and avoid possible negative consequences of a poorly made decision, Kahneman, Lovallo, and Sibony (2011) suggest seeking others’ recommendations regarding an issue yet evaluating those recommendations according to their own experiences. The analysis of others’ opinions as well as background information related to a matter of interest is a must because all people judge based on their preferences, which may contradict your best interests drastically. Thus, one should search for credible information to substantiate a decision and remain as objective as possible by recognizing that one’s thinking may be distorted.

Conclusion

As can be seen, cognitive bias, thinking traps, and processes that undergo in our brains can be connected to and affected by each other. The threat of such processes and bias is in their impact on our thinking: we believe that we are correct in what we are doing because our misconception of flawed, uncritical approach to our thinking affects the clarity of the decision.

References

Beja, E. L. (2015). The focusing illusion and happiness: Evidence using college basketball championship. Social Indicators Research, 121(3), 873-885.

Campbell, A., Whitehead, J., & Finkelstein, S. (2009). Why good leaders make bad decisions. Harvard Business Review, 87(2), 60-66.

Cossette, P. (2015). Heuristics and cognitive biases in entrepreneurs: A review of the research. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 27(5), 471-496.

Hammond, J., Keeney, R., & Raiffa, H. (1998). The hidden traps in decision making. Harvard Business Review, 84(1), 118-126.

Kahneman, D., Lovallo, D., & Sibony, O. (2011). Before you make that big decision. Harvard Business Review, 89(6), 50-60.

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Thought Traps as the Cause of Bad Decisions in Human Life

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