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Heuristic Hacks

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Faulty Generalization Heuristic

Faulty Generalization goes by many names like Faulty Generalization fallacy, hasty generalization, and more, but the main idea is that the mind will occasionally draw a broad general conclusion from a minor amount of information or occurrences of some phenomenon. This is typically known as jumping to conclusions and can be a default state of our thinking if we do not guard against it. At the core of Faulty Generalization is the fact that we are using a small sample size to generalize about a much bigger problem, group of people, or happenings. Since one example of something is not necessarily a good indicator of how all other things of its nature will be, this heuristic could lead us astray and cause us to make false assumptions and poor judgments.

How to hack Faulty Generalization Bias?

The issue with Faulty Generalization is that it is natural to draw conclusions without sufficient evidence because obtaining and analyzing diverse and useful evidence is cognitively draining and time-consuming. However, this can also shed light on the solution for falling prey to it and offer some guidance on what actions to take. The best way to avoid Faulty Generalization is by taking a step back and gathering all necessary evidence before making a decision when the context permits. Giving yourself time to collect and weigh evidence on both sides of your argument can make sure that you are getting a large enough and unbiased sample before making a claim or decision. It is crucially important to attempt to remain objective when collecting data and gathering information from a representative sample of inputs, especially ones that might contradict your current view. While there is no way of gathering all possible information, and overanalyzing has its own problems, following this general outline can lead to less irrational and Faulty Generalization over time.

Faulty Generalizations when visiting a new country

Imagine you visit a new country for a work trip and the few locals whom you encounter happen to be outwardly nice and welcoming. You go on two dinners with some colleagues and the food is fairly unimpressive. You go home and explain to your family how everyone in that country is so nice and how their food is not the best. Both of these are likely Faulty Generalizations since they are broad conclusions made from a small sample of only being in a country for a few days.

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Faulty Generalization and your health

A classic example of the Faulty Generalization Heuristic at work is when evaluating long-term causal relationships like how food affects health. Take someone who grows up in a household where fast food is eaten on a regular basis and the children are all healthy individuals. It is easy for someone to take their older sibling as an example of why eating french fries every week is not bad for your health. They see their older brother eating french fries every week and he's perfectly healthy!

Nonfiction Writing

Oftentimes when writers intend to tell a story or get their point across, they will engage in one sided evaluation of evidence because telling readers that there are multiple equally valid points to be made for both sides of this story usually does not catch eyeballs. This biased way of reporting information is especially pernicious in political media and reporting as select few examples of something negative happening can get more attention and rile people up more than a fair and balanced review of the broader picture issue.

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