In the context of decision-making, inversion involves considering the opposite or negative outcomes of a decision before making a choice. This helps in identifying potential pitfalls or risks and making more informed decisions. Inversion is a valuable skill that can be applied in various aspects of life, such as personal relationships, business, and problem-solving.
A social norm that is based on the idea of giving and receiving in equal measure. In the context of social psychology, reciprocity is often studied as a principle of influence, where people feel obligated to reciprocate when someone does something for them. This principle is often used in marketing and sales, where businesses offer free samples or gifts in the hope that customers will feel obliged to make a purchase in return.
Survivorship bias is a cognitive bias that occurs when we focus on the individuals or things that have "survived" a particular process or experience, while ignoring those that did not. It leads to an overestimation of success or a skewed understanding of a situation because we only consider the successes or survivors.
Almost everyone can anticipate the immediate results of their actions. This type of first-order thinking is easy and safe, but it’s also a way to ensure you get the same results that everyone else gets. Second-order thinking is thinking farther ahead and thinking holistically. It requires us to consider not only our actions and their immediate consequences but the subsequent effects of those actions as well. Failing to consider the second and third-order effects can unleash disaster.