Shiny Object Syndrome: What Makes An 82-Year-Old Start Stock Trading
Alisha stops by five times on her way to the park to pick up fallen twigs and flowers and once to pet a corgi across the road. She seems in no hurry as she slowly meanders her way to the park. Strangely, no one seems perturbed by this behavior. They have, in fact, come to expect this of Alisha. Alisha is three years old.
On the other hand, when Aidan (30), ostensibly while preparing for a presentation, stops his work multiple times to check his Twitter account or read the reviews on the latest VR headset, he is subject to (unsurprisingly) less-than-complimentary looks from his boss and co-workers.
Both Alisha and Aidan are victims of the shiny object syndrome-a tendency to chase after shiny, new things instead of focusing on the task(s) at hand.
In a 3-year-old, this is expected behavior (encouraged, in fact). Exploration is how kids learn. In adults, however, the action may evoke the word “scatterbrained.”
First, let’s see why we even call this shiny object syndrome? What’s it about shiny objects that attract us?
Have you wondered why children (or, for that matter, adults too) are instantly drawn to sparkling objects or glossy material? A research study suggests a link between shiny things and a deep-rooted evolutionary need…
