Humans, as a species, are largely loss averse. We don’t like loss. The pain we feel from loss is often greater than the pleasure we get from the equivalent level of gain. As a result, we can often go to great lengths to avoid loss.
We see this in our tendency to avoid information in order to avoid the unpleasant impact we expect it to lead to. For example, we avoid looking at our credit card statement to avoid the potential pain of realizing how much we actually owe and the potential loss of the lifestyle we like to lead.
This tendency is known as the ostrich effect. It’s named after the common belief that ostriches try to avoid predators by just sticking their heads into the sand.
Side note
Did you know that this isn’t actually true?! Ostriches don’t actually do this!
While researching this topic I discovered that when faced with danger, ostriches actually just lower their heads to the ground in an attempt to blend into their surroundings and become a lesser target.
Since their heads are so small, it likely fooled more than one person into thinking their heads weren’t there at all and were actually buried in the sand. Like many myths and misconceptions, this one took off and is now used as a common metaphor for someone avoiding their problems
Alright, even if the rest of this episode doesn’t apply to you, hopefully you’ve just learned something new so it wasn’t a total waste of time.
Back to the (now miss-named) Ostrich Effect.
What is the Ostrich Effect?
This cognitive bias happens when we make the decision (consciously or unconsciously) to avoid information. Even in cases where that information could lead to a positive outcome overall.
It was originally coined to describe the tendency of stock market investors to check the stock market often when markets are performing well and actively avoid checking when they are not.
More related to our health and wellness, it can show up as avoiding going to the doctor to avoid a potentially negative health diagnosis. Or not stepping on the scale after a vacation to avoid seeing a potential weight gain. Or we put off keeping a food journal to avoid seeing any eating patterns that may make us feel bad about ourselves.
Obviously, as we know, avoiding the information doesn’t make the problem or potential problem disappear. The information is still there whether we choose to look at it or not. Avoiding the information and getting stuck in the ostrich effect not only keeps us stuck in a potentially negative situation, it can actually make that situation worse.
In the first example, if we don’t receive a timely diagnosis that health issue could get worse and lead to irreversible consequences. On the other hand, avoiding the information can also mean we are worried about something that doesn’t actually need to worry us. That doctor’s appointment could result in the discovery that there is no negative diagnosis in the first place.
It can be tempting to run away from potentially bad news. In the long run, we’re almost always better off knowing where we stand and how we can improve.
So how can we help ourselves and avoid the tendency to stick our heads in the sand?
How to avoid the Ostrich Effect
Try to focus on the big picture
I know I often talk about taking big goals and breaking them down into smaller short-term goals. However, if you find yourself stuck and bogged down in temporary setbacks and disappointments, it might be time to pull back.
Take a look at the big picture and remind yourself of your ultimate goal. Focus on the reasons why you decided to do this in the first place. Although the losses and setbacks might still sting, this may help to offset the pain and make it feel a little more worth it.
Try Mindfulness
On the other hand it might be more helpful to narrow your focus and try being mindful. Mindfulness is just about paying attention to what is happening right now in the moment and not judging it as good or bad.
Mindfulness can help combat the ostrich effect by allowing us to notice our anxiety about receiving the information we are trying to avoid. By taking a second to examine how we’re feeling and what we’re thinking, we might be able to recognize that our resistance to this kind of information isn’t necessarily rational and that it might be holding us back.
Sometimes you can bury your head in the sand
You could step back and decide if the information you are avoiding is actually helpful or not.
If you think you may have gained a little weight while on vacation, give yourself a break. Feel grateful that you had an amazing time and really enjoyed yourself. You don’t really need to know exactly how many pounds you gained, just work at getting back into your healthy eating and activity routines and that weight will take care of itself.
On the other hand you could focus on looking at different, more helpful information.
If you really don’t want a food journal shining a light on a habit that you aren’t proud of, focus instead on writing down all of the fruits and vegetables you eat each day. That information will help you feel far more successful and give you a goal to improve upon.
Rationally we know that avoiding our problems doesn’t make them go away (and that it can actually make them worse). Unfortunately we are not always that rational.
If you have found yourself burying your head in the sand in an attempt to avoid some negative information or event, cut yourself some slack and try one of the strategies I talked about here.
Information is power. It CAN be the power we need to stand up, shake ourselves off and keep moving forward towards our goals, willpower not required.
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