Psychologyspeaking topic
The sunk cost fallacy: why do we keep going with something we know is over, telling ourselves 'but I've put so much into it'? How do past losses take our future decisions hostage?
— Arkes & Blumer, sunk cost fallacy
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
- The illusion of understanding, watching a great explainer gives the feeling of knowledge without the substance, and the feeling is addictive.
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- Seligman later developed 'learned optimism': if helplessness can be learned, hope can be taught. Does changing a person's explanatory style really make them more resilient?
- The mere exposure effect: why do we start liking a song or a face more the more often we encounter it? How does familiarity turn into fondness?
- The availability heuristic: why do plane crashes scare us more than car crashes? How do the examples that spring easily to mind distort our sense of what's actually likely?