After reading a lot of Ariely and [[Thinking, Fast and Slow]], for a long time I thought how come [[System 1 vs System 2|System 1]] could be evolutionarily [[Adaptiveness|adaptive]]? It's essentially a series of long theses exposing all its faults. Gut Feelings comes to the rescue of System 1, exploring how intuitions and gut feelings can be powerful and adaptive tools. And he does it in a way that's much less obnoxious than Nassim Taleb (OK that's a pretty low bar). ### The Basic Premise: Gut Feelings and Heuristics Gut feelings are judgments that: * appear quickly in our consciousness * whose underlying reasons we are not fully aware of * are strong enough to act upon. These intuitions are based on heuristics, which are simple rules that take advantage of the brain's evolved capacities. Often, these heuristics are faster and more convenient than [[System 1 vs System 2|System 2]] thinking, which requires more time and resources. Heuristics (System 1) offer several advantages over deliberate thinking (System 2). They are quick, require less information, and are easy to apply. In situations where time is limited or information is incomplete, heuristics can lead to effective and efficient decisions. For example, in [[Satisficing]] scenarios, where it's imperative to make "good enough" decisions quickly, heuristics may be more suitable than exhaustive analysis. ### Examples: 1. When Germans, who knew little about American cities, correctly guessed that Detroit was larger than Milwaukee simply because they had heard of Detroit more. This heuristic is based on the idea that if you recognize something, it is likely important or relevant. That's why [[Mere Exposure Effect]] happens. 2. [[Probability Matching]]: Animals, like rats, often display probability matching behavior, choosing options in proportion to their probability of reward. While it may seem irrational from a logical standpoint, this behavior can be adaptive in uncertain environments. 3. [[Take-the-best heuristic]]: This strategy involves looking up reasons in order of importance and stopping as soon as one reason differentiates the alternatives. Although it may seem simplistic, it often predicts outcomes as well as more complex strategies. 4. [[Utilitarianism vs Kantianism]]: In the social realm, Gigerenzer suggests that following basic Kantian principles can be safer than a utilitarian approach, which could lead to catastrophic errors. ### Irrationality from the Behavioral Science Standpoint From the perspective of behavioral science, these heuristics may seem irrational because they do not follow exhaustive logical analysis. However, in practice, they make sense because they are adapted to our [[Environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA)]]. Many of our "biases" are simply examples of how our intuitions work well in natural contexts, even if they may fail in artificial or modern situations. Related books: * [[Antifragile]] * [[Thinking, Fast and Slow]] Full annotations: [[Gut Feelings, Gerd Gigerenzer (annotations)]] #published 2025-01-18