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EDITORIAL: Beware the status quo bias, Squamish

Doing the best thing isn’t always our default move. Psychologists have long identified humans’ penchant for staying on the course they previously set, regardless of the lack of logic in that.
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Doing the best thing isn’t always our default move.

Psychologists have long identified humans’ penchant for staying on the course they previously set, regardless of the lack of logic in that.

The status quo bias, or cognitive inertia, is the habit of continuing to do as we have always done rather than change course when it is obvious we should.

Some people stay in relationships or jobs, for example, long after it has been to their benefit to do so because it is just what they know

Less dramatic an example are those who keep the same hairstyle, decade after decade. (Rock that beehive if it makes you happy, though! We aren’t here to judge.)

Businesses stick to ways of operating that are clearly no longer profitable simply because turning the ship around is harder than staying on the set course, even if there are clear rocks ahead in the water.

Governments and organizations too, stay the course, with policies and plans that no longer work the way they were intended. 

There’s also the similar “plan continuation bias” that relates to driving or trip planning.

When we head out to drive from Squamish to Kamloops or Hope, for example, but the weather becomes so gnarly that it isn’t safe to drive, how often do we push on, because we said (even if just to ourselves) that we would get from point A to point B by a certain time?

It makes no sense, but many of us do it.

Same with our outdoor recreation plans. We said we would snowmobile at Brohm Ridge on Friday, so fog or blizzard conditions don’t stand in our way, though safety says they should, for example.

This resistance to change isn’t all bad. It is also what allows us to feel some sense of control in an increasingly bonkers world.

Jog the same route every day even though other routes are more scenic or challenging? Whatever. At least you are out there.

But the dawning of a new year also gives us all a chance to reflect and take stock.

Whether at home or at work or in government, let’s check our own status quo bias, Squamish, and see if we can do the braver thing and change course if it is obvious we should. 

[Hint, hint. Expect some exciting changes at The Chief early in 2020!]

What are you — or we — doing that is more of a habit than a benefit?

Do we need to keep having fireworks at public events, for example? Or is that an old habit that brings comfort, but is not good for the environment or wildlife? We would argue the latter.

Tell us what you think about this and let us know about any other changes you are making in your life by writing to editor@squamishchief.com. We will publish resolutions in an upcoming paper.

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