4 ms·

Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman – Talks at Google

17 points by ycombinete 6y ago

rvn1045 6y ago
While I love reading about insights from behavioral economics I don't completely understand the internet obsession over psychological biases, mental models and other related topics in this cluster. I'm often trying to understand how to actually apply this kind of knowledge into my daily life. I think Kahneman has himself said you can't protect yourself from it even if you are aware of the biases. A lot of the interest in these topics seems disproportionate relative to their applicability.
- klft 6y ago
  You might not be able to protect yourself from biases because that is just the way we are wired but you might be able to protect yourself from acting on the bias. Example: You read a study and think: “Ah, this is not surprising. It is exactly what I have expected”. You can catch this thought and identify it as hindsight bias. And then think more deeply about the results without the bias. Similar about mental models. They can guide your thinking about a specific problem. But this takes time and mental energy. So you will only apply them when it is worth the effort.
  - srtjstjsj 6y ago
    > So you will only apply them when it is worth the effort. This judgment is subject to bias.
- srtjstjsj 6y ago
  People also like to talk about pro sports despite never becoming professionals themselves.
- BitwiseFool 6y ago
  Understanding how real-world systems function is something fascinating to me. So for me personally it's a natural extension of that curiosity. What are the rules that govern my own behavior? My operating system - if you will.
- jdc 6y ago
  I'd say just knowing about a bias is necessary but not sufficient to protect yourself from it. Practically speaking, think about organizational design and policy.
amai 6y ago
The video is from 2011, so don't forget this: "This result confirms Kahneman’s prediction that priming research is a train wreck and readers of his book “Thinking Fast and Slow” should not consider the presented studies as scientific evidence that subtle cues in their environment can have strong effects on their behavior outside their awareness." https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-train-wreck-how-priming-research-went-of-the-rails/ https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-... https://retractionwatch.com/2017/02/20/placed-much-faith-underpowered-studies-nobel-prize-winner-admits-mistakes/ https://retractionwatch.com/2017/02/20/placed-much-faith-und... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12030791 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12030791

17 points by ycombinete 6y ago

While I love reading about insights from behavioral economics I don't completely understand the internet obsession over psychological biases, mental models and other related topics in this cluster. I'm often trying to understand how to actually apply this kind of knowledge into my daily life. I think Kahneman has himself said you can't protect yourself from it even if you are aware of the biases. A lot of the interest in these topics seems disproportionate relative to their applicability.

klft 6y ago
You might not be able to protect yourself from biases because that is just the way we are wired but you might be able to protect yourself from acting on the bias. Example: You read a study and think: “Ah, this is not surprising. It is exactly what I have expected”. You can catch this thought and identify it as hindsight bias. And then think more deeply about the results without the bias. Similar about mental models. They can guide your thinking about a specific problem. But this takes time and mental energy. So you will only apply them when it is worth the effort.
- srtjstjsj 6y ago
  > So you will only apply them when it is worth the effort. This judgment is subject to bias.
srtjstjsj 6y ago
People also like to talk about pro sports despite never becoming professionals themselves.
BitwiseFool 6y ago
Understanding how real-world systems function is something fascinating to me. So for me personally it's a natural extension of that curiosity. What are the rules that govern my own behavior? My operating system - if you will.
jdc 6y ago
I'd say just knowing about a bias is necessary but not sufficient to protect yourself from it. Practically speaking, think about organizational design and policy.

amai 6y ago

The video is from 2011, so don't forget this: "This result confirms Kahneman’s prediction that priming research is a train wreck and readers of his book “Thinking Fast and Slow” should not consider the presented studies as scientific evidence that subtle cues in their environment can have strong effects on their behavior outside their awareness." https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-train-wreck-how-priming-research-went-of-the-rails/ https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-... https://retractionwatch.com/2017/02/20/placed-much-faith-underpowered-studies-nobel-prize-winner-admits-mistakes/ https://retractionwatch.com/2017/02/20/placed-much-faith-und... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12030791 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12030791