Mind Hacks

Chapter 7. Reasoning: Hacks 70–74

We consider ourselves pretty rational animals, and we can indeed be pretty logical when we put our minds to it. But you only have to scratch the surface to find out how easily we’re misled by numbers [[Hack #70]], and it’s well-known that statistics are really hard to understand [[Hack #71]]. So how good are we at being rational? It depends: our logic skills aren’t too hot, for instance, until we need to catch people who might be cheating on us [[Hack #72]] instead of just logically solving sums. And that’s the point. We have a very pragmatic kind of rationality, solving complex problems as long as they’re real-life situations.

Pure rationality is overrated anyway. Figuring out logic is slow going when we can have gut feelings instead, and that’s a strategy that works. Well, the placebo effect [[Hack #73]] works at least—belief is indeed a powerful thing. And we have a strong bias toward keeping the status quo [[Hack #74]] too. It’s not rational, that’s for sure, but don’t worry; the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” policy is a pragmatic one, at least.

Hack #70. Use Numbers Carefully

Our brains haven’t evolved to think about numbers. Funny things happen to them as they go into our heads.

Although we can instantly appreciate how many items comprise small groups (small meaning four or fewer [[Hack #35]]), reasoning about bigger numbers requires counting, and counting requires training. Some cultures get by with no specific numbers higher than 3, and ...