But ordinarily, the brain has limits. The conscious mind is only capable of processing a small amount of information at any one time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So when you are faced with a complex situation, your brain may not have the capacity to consider all the variables, available information and possible alternatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This can lead us to make important life decisions without a clear vision or path. Whilst this is not inherently a bad thing, it can sometimes mean that we set off in the direction in the first place.<\/p>\n One way of avoiding poor choices is a technique known as heuristics. The process behind this decision-making strategy makes the judgment process easier and more intuitive (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The availability heuristic technique creates a shortcut that you can use to assess the likelihood of an event. The assessment is based on how quickly and easily examples come to mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Because of how the brain works, when you remember something effortlessly, it must be important and happen frequently. Whilst this can be a useful tool for making quick judgments, it often leads to poor decisions. The reason for this is that memory recall is a habitual program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The goal of heuristics is to override the habitual program and drop deeper into the unconscious where your intuition resides.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The main benefit of the availability heuristic is it allows you to assess risk and make decisions quickly and easily (Pachur et al., 2012<\/span><\/a>). As mentioned above, sometimes you just don\u2019t have the time or resources to gather enough information to evaluate fully.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The availability heuristic provides a foundation to draw conclusions fast, thus freeing up your mind to focus on other things. It simplifies complex decisions so you can take timely action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, ease of memory recall is often a poor guide for judging risk. Memories that are recent, unusual, or have an emotional component stand out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But this doesn\u2019t necessarily mean these types of events happen frequently. So it\u2019s easy to see how this can lead to bias, errors in judgment, and poor decisions. Here are a few examples of what can happen:<\/p>\n An often-cited example is overestimating the chances of being in a plane crash because of the extensive media coverage after one happens. This can trigger a fear of flying even though we\u2019re far more likely to die in a car crash.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After 9\/11, the fear of terrorist attacks persuaded many people to travel by car rather than flying, even though the odds of another similar attack were minuscule. This upsurge in car travel led to an increase in car crashes, causing almost as many deaths as the terrorist attack (Blalock et al., 2009).<\/p>\n This also stands out in our minds due to extensive media coverage and its emotional nature.<\/p>\n It\u2019s more common to die from being struck by lightning or be hit by parts falling off a plane than being attacked by a shark.<\/p>\n In one study, participants ranked the seriousness of climate change higher if they were asked on a day that was unusually warm as opposed to unusually cold (Li et al., 2011<\/a>).<\/p>\n Another study showed that people invite unnecessary stress on themselves if a friend is diagnosed with a serious illness, we tend to overestimate our chances of getting it too (Pachur et al., 2012). Ironically, worry and stress can increase the risk of getting sick.<\/p>\n At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a case of Legionella pneumonia was mistakenly thought to be Covid (Kyere et al., 2022<\/span><\/a>). This can be serious because it leads to inappropriate treatment.<\/p>\n The first step is becoming aware of it. Ask yourself: \u2018Was this the first thing that popped into my mind? Is this memory emotionally charged or especially vivid? Is it something I saw recently in the news?\u2019<\/p>\n If the answer to any of these filtering questions is yes, delay a decision. The choice you have in your head right now is recency bias based on memory. When you are trying to change your future you usually have to do something different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Memories are always built on things you have done in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, question your initial choices and think about possible alternatives.<\/p>\n There are several ways to do this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The first thing to do is to quieten your mind and ask your superconscious. Unless you are super connected it\u2019s doubtful you will get an answer immediately. But it may come in a moment or two.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, the right choice may only appear to you later on. In my experience, it\u2019s either when you actively gather more information and you sense the right answer through your inner knowing faculty which I call Sage energy.<\/p>\n Other times, the right information appears randomly. For example, you might be browsing the internet or reading a book on a completely unrelated topic but get inspiration that helps you make a decision.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also not unusual for you to be speaking to a friend or work colleague about something completely unrelated and they say something that sparks an idea. Or you may even overhear a conversation between two strangers and your answer reveals itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is why they say the Lord (the laws of the Universe) works in mysterious ways. Also, watch out for synchronicity of symbols and numbers. Symbols serve as a guide to making decisions with confidence.<\/p>\n![\"Self](\"https:\/\/mastermindcontent.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Mind.png\")
<\/p>\nTroubleshooting The A<\/b>vailability Heuristic<\/h2>\n
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Examples of The Availability Heuristic<\/b><\/h2>\n
Fear of flying<\/b><\/h3>\n
Fear of terrorist attacks<\/b><\/h3>\n
Fear of getting in the ocean after seeing the movie Jaws<\/i>:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Beliefs about global warming<\/b><\/h3>\n
\u200bMedical misnomers<\/b><\/h3>\n
How to Avoid The Availability Heuristic<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"memories](\"https:\/\/mastermindcontent.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/film-strip.jpg\")
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![\"Beginners](\"https:\/\/mastermindcontent.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/front-cover.jpg\")
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