How to copy and paste your way to success 🖨
In psychology, the 'false consensus effect' refers to our tendency to think that everyone around us shares our opinions and level of knowledge. It's why we imagine that most people want to live in the outskirts of the city if we like living in the outskirts, for example.
While this cognitive bias can help us navigate the overwhelming number of different opinions and perspectives in the world, it can also hold us back from learning from those around us.
Katy Milkman, the host of the popular behavioral economics podcast Choiceology, says that the false consensus effect prevents us from using the copy and paste behavioral change method. This is simply the practice of deliberately copying others in order to achieve a particular behavior or goal we want to reach. Studies found that participants who use this technique were able to find habits that better suited their lifestyle and foster successful behavior change. More here.