Quote:
Originally Posted by jyl
... or is this because we are very well developed for the environment in which we evolved?
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This. The pattern recognition skills that served us well in a slower paced, predictable, ancient past now cause all sorts of biases in our decision making in a far more dynamic and diverse environment.
Many poor decision come from the storyline we maintain in our heads about who we are, and what our relationship is to the world around us. We view that storyline as fixed, that we are powerless to change the story itself. So we go along with the story, and make terrible decision based on a false premise. If you spend any time studying Buddhism or Cognitive Behavior Therapy (pretty much the same thing IMHO), you can start to get a perspective on the storyline, and more clearly see the parts that are fixed, and those that are arbitrary. Moreover, you can learn to not fear changing the story for the better.