Action Bias

Let’s talk about football a bit. Did you know that the chances of saving a penalty kick by a goalkeeper is higher if he stays put than if he dives either left or right? Yes, statistics back this up and as highly paid professional players, they are very much aware of the fact. But still, why do they dive? It’s because of the psychological phenomenon called action bias, where people tend to favor action over inaction. Maybe by diving, a goalkeeper can get the sympathy of his team and his fans.

This is what happens to us in our daily lives. We tend to run after everything, to react to everything. Even when we know that our actions are going nowhere. Either for fear of missing out, we tend to act. Or to show our presence and tell the world we are alive, we are always diving to the left and right.

Remember, you don’t have to respond to that corporate email cc all. You don’t have to attend the famous car show downtown everybody has been talking about. You don’t have to go shopping just because everything is on sale this summer.

Focus on what matters most to you instead. Invest your time in quality activities that will be beneficial to you or to the people around you. Very often staying put is what you need to do.