22/05/2019
3 things that you are grateful for:
- For this laptop and keyboard
- For the toughness of this body
- For the capacity to choose my response
1 thing that you can do better:
- Choosing better ways of experiencing life
Notes:
Thinking errors from the art of thinking clearly by Rolf Dobelli:
51. Hyperbolic Discounting, even if the quick gratification and acting on your impulses is very tempting is still a flaw.
52. Because justification — any lame excuse, It works in almost all cases
53. Decision Fatigue — decide better, decide less
54. Contagion Bias, incapability of ignoring the connection you feel to certain items (superstition)
55. “When you hear the word ‘average’, think twice. If a single anomaly has almost no influence on the set,the concept is still worthwhile”
56. Motivation Crowding –bonuses destroy motivation
57. Twaddle Tendency. Author conclusion:
“Verbal expression is the mirror of the mind. Clear thoughts become clear statements, whereas ambiguous ideas transform into vacant ramblings. The trouble is that, in many cases, we lack very lucid thoughts. The world is complicated, and it takes a great deal of mental effort to understand even one facet of the whole. Until you experience such an epiphany, it’s better to heed Mark Twain: ‘If you have nothing to say, say nothing.’ Simplicity is the zenith of a long, arduous journey, not the starting point.”
58. Will Rogers Phenomenon — how to increase the average IQ of tow states, simple you take peoples from the state whit higher IQ and move them to the other one until both states have the same average IQ.
59. Information Bias, the delusion that more information guarantees better decisions
‘The greatest obstacle todiscovery is not ignorance — it is the illusion of knowledge.’ — Daniel J. Boorstin
60. Effort justification, when you put a lot of energy into a task, you tend to overvalue the result.
61.The law of small numbers, watch out when you hear remarkable statistics about any small entities, the results are not valid and much fluctuating even for small changes due to the small set.
62. About expectation:
“Expectations are intangible, but their effect is quite real. They have the power to change reality. Can we deprogramme them? Is it possible to live a life free from expectations? Unfortunately not. But you can deal with them more cautiously. Raise expectations for yourself and for the people you love. This increases motivation. At the same time, lower expectations for things you cannot control — for example, the stock market. As paradoxical as it sounds, the best way to shield yourself from nasty surprises is to anticipate them.”
63. Simple logic, not everything that seems plausible is true. Reject the easy answers that pop into your head. Rational consideration is more consuming than sensing, but many time more useful.
64. Forer effect example (how well it describes you? I bet pretty well):
‘You have a great need for other people to like and admire you. Yo have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a great deal of unused capacity, which you have not turned to your advantage. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you. Disciplined and self controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others’ statements without satisfactory proof. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable and sociable while at other times you are introverted, wary and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. Security is one of your major goals in life.’
Why it works:
- the majority of statements are so general that they relate to everyone
- you tend to accept flattering statements that don’t apply to you
- it states only what we are, even though the absence of characteristics is an equally important part of a person’s make-up
- you accept whatever corresponds to our self image and unconsciously filter everything else out
65. Volunteer’s folly, anyone who profits or feels even the slightest satisfaction from volunteering is not a pure altruist
66. Affect Heuristic, you make complex decisions by consulting your feelings, not your thoughts. Because is faster and easier.
67. Introspection illusion, nothing is more convincing than your own beliefs. Solution: become more critical with your beliefs and conclusions
Some of the reponeses when some one don’t share your view:
- Assumption of ignorance
- Assumption of idiocy
- Assumption of malice
- But no lack of understanding on your part
68. Inability to close doors, most doors are not worth going through, even when the handle seems to turn so effortlessly.
69. Neomania, don’t go out on a limb when forecasting the future. Whatever has survived for X years will last another X years
70. Sleeper Effect, the source of the argument fades faster than the argument. In other words, your brain quickly forgets where the information came from. So use next questions to find the source of your beliefs and arguments: Whose opinions are these? And why do they think that way? Who benefits? Probe the issue like an investigator would
Ryan Holiday: on the obstacle is the way
