{"id":76197,"date":"2022-08-14T11:04:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T15:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=76197"},"modified":"2022-08-22T16:03:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T20:03:13","slug":"objective-decision-making-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/objective-decision-making-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2 Simple Rules for Objective Decision-Making"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you base your decisions on emotions or facts? Why is objectivity important in decision-making<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we make decisions, we’re prone to confirmation bias\u2014seeking information that confirms our existing beliefs and biases. This prevents us from making credible predictions by distorting how we interpret information, leading to suboptimal decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are two simple rules for objective decision-making<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Seek Out Objective Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The authors argue that due to our confirmation bias<\/a>, we trust our biased instincts over more accurate data<\/strong> about what people in a similar situation have experienced.<\/strong> To overcome this, we can seek out objective information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way to do this is to pay attention to base rates: statistics that describe the percentage of a population for which something is true. For example, the aforementioned college applicant could compare base rates from each college that show what percentage of its art majors find a job in the arts after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: If you\u2019re unfamiliar with base rates or statistics in general, you might worry about misinterpreting data<\/a> you find. One way to ensure you wisely interpret data<\/a> is to research a statistic\u2019s sample size<\/em>: the number of people it represents.<\/a> For example, if the college applicant encountered a statistic that read, \u201c100% of our 2020 art program graduates found a job in the arts,\u201d they could follow it up with this question: \u201cHow many students graduated that year?\u201d If the answer is three, the statistic may be less revealing than if the answer is 300.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors offer another piece of advice for objective decision-making: Ask an expert questions that prompt them to share factual<\/em> information, specifically.<\/strong> The authors recommend that you avoid asking questions about the future. For example, the college applicant shouldn\u2019t ask the counselor, \u201cDo you think this program will prepare me for an art career?\u201d This question may fall prey to the counselor\u2019s own biases. Instead, the authors instruct us to ask questions about the past and the present. An expert provides a more objective perspective on these types of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n