![]() That being said, those who act are still rewarded above those who do not. Due to the ways in which our environment and lifestyle have evolved, the action bias is less necessary for survival than it once was. This automatic impulse is a survival instinct that was once incredibly adaptive. It’s been suggested that our tendency towards action is something hardwired into us from our history as hunter-gatherers. Thousands of years ago, immediate action was required in order for survival. Despite these limitations, researchers have found some evidence for what context gives rise to the action bias. Thus, there are many things that we still don’t fully understand about it. Although this bias is nothing new, the theory behind it was only developed recently. ![]() Such notions predate the development of the concept of the action bias by centuries. It’s just one example of how we consider a lack of action to be wrong. “The devil makes work for idle hands” is an old expression that emphasizes the notion that staying busy will keep you out of trouble. Our bias towards action may result in us applauding these empty actions, even though no real progress is being made. Such action gives the impression that something is being done, when, in actuality, the effects are minimal. They described how, in order to make a salient impression, politicians will often pass showy - but relatively ineffective - environmental policies. In particular, they focused on policy-making. They authored one of the earliest papers on the action bias (2000), 2 in which they outlined certain areas affected by it. This serves to reinforce our view of action as superior to inaction, which in turn allows for the continuation of this pattern of poor decision-making.Īn example of a systematic challenge due to the action bias was brought to light by Patt and Zeckhauser. Even if the decision to act doesn’t pan out as we’d hoped, we can rationalize that it would have been worse if we’d done nothing, even though that very well might not have been the case. As a society, we view inaction as wrong, and continued engagement in the action bias only serves to propagate this belief.
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