Have it ever cross your mind why we have tendencies to move rather than waiting?
It happens to me almost every time i across M. Yamin street to hospital. Why do i prefer went to small street like Voorvo rather than waiting at the traffic light in Lembuswana when actually if we measure the time that wasted is almost similar. Is it means that i'm a dynamic person that hardly to sit and wait as the second count down at the red light? Is the 'dynamic person' and 'static person' terms that created in my brain actually does exist?
As i read the book; The Art of Thinking Clearly written by Rolf Dobelli, i found out that i'm not alone.
There is a study comes from researcher Michael Bar-Eli who evaluated hundreds of penalty shoot-outs. In a penalty situation in soccer, the ball takes less than 0.3 seconds to travel from the player who kicks the ball to the goal. Goalkeeper, must take a decision before the ball is kicked. The possibilities is the same, soccer players who take penalty kicks shoot 1/3 middle of the goal, 1/3 right of the goal, and 1/3 left of the goal. Surely goalkeepers have spotted this, but guess what do they do?
They dive either to the left or the right. Rarely do they stay standing in middle - even though roughly a third of all balls land there.
This is what we called as action bias: look active, even if it achieves nothing.
The action bias exist even in the most educated circles. If a patient's illness cannot yet be diagnosed with certainty, and doctors must choose between intervening (prescribing something) or waiting and seeing, they are prone to taking action.
The action bias exist even in the most educated circles. If a patient's illness cannot yet be diagnosed with certainty, and doctors must choose between intervening (prescribing something) or waiting and seeing, they are prone to taking action.
Such decision have nothing to do with profiteering, but rather with the human tendency to want to do anything but sit and wait in the face of uncertainty.
It explain why we need medication when we have a flu or influenza. Flu is respiratory illness caused by a virus, something that no doctor or medicine on earth can make go away. Viruses must run their course, and most go away on their own after several days of suffering. But it's so hard to sit back, wait and do nothing when you are ill right?
We want to fix the problem, see a doctor, take a pill, or do something to shorten the duration of illness.
When in fact, if you drink water and rest well, take any medicine or not, the flu will go away on its own in about 7 to 10 days.
So why do it happens in our daily life?
There is a saying that goes like this: although we, human, now value contemplation more highly, out right inaction remains a cardinal sin. You get no honour, no medal, no statue with your name on it if you make exactly the right decision by waiting—for the good of the company, the state, even humanity.
In new or shaky circumstances, we feel compelled to do something, anything. Afterward we feel better, even if we have made things worse by acting too quickly or too often.
However, even though it comes natural, we can still control it. It is not a sin if a situation is unclear, we stand inactivity, and hold back until we can asses our options.
(Especially when it comes to take a medicine for flu—a medical student speaking)
