In a thought-provoking conversation with Adam Grant, Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman shares his insights on decision-making, intuition, and the joy of being wrong.
Kahneman, known for his work on the biases that cloud our thinking, discusses the role of intuition in decision-making, the importance of reducing misery in society, and the joy he finds in learning from mistakes.
Joy in Being Wrong
Kahneman shares his unique perspective on being wrong, viewing mistakes as instructive and positive experiences.
He enjoys changing his mind and being surprised as it signifies learning something new.
However, he acknowledges that this is not a universal experience and many people find it painful to realize they’ve made a mistake.
I think that there is a task for society to reduce misery, not to increase happiness. And when you think of reducing misery, you would be led into very different policy directions. – Daniel Kahneman
Smarter Interviewing
Kahneman shares his experience of setting up an interviewing system for the Israeli Army.
The system broke up the problem into six traits, with factual questions asked about each trait.
The interviewers initially hated the system, but it was found that their ratings plus their intuition at the end, after they did the ratings, worked best.
Irrational Persistence
Kahneman discusses the concept of irrational persistence.
While acknowledging that it can lead to great successes, he suggests that the expected value of irrational optimism and persistence might be negative.
This is because every significant success can be traced back to some form of irrationality.
Delaying Intuition in Formal Decision-Making
Kahneman discusses the importance of delaying intuition in formal decision-making processes.
Once an intuition is formed, people stop taking in new information and start rationalizing or confirming their decision.
Delaying intuition ensures comprehensive, accurate, unbiased information is gathered before a decision is made.
Reducing Misery Over Increasing Happiness
Daniel Kahneman emphasizes the importance of reducing misery rather than increasing happiness.
He suggests that societal efforts should be directed towards mitigating the negative aspects of life, such as suffering and misery, rather than solely focusing on enhancing the positive aspects.
I really enjoyed changing my mind because I enjoy being surprised. And I enjoy being surprised because I feel I’m learning something. – Daniel Kahneman
Engagement at Work
Kahneman and Grant explore the concept of engagement at work.
They differentiate between being an engaged workaholic and a compulsive workaholic, suggesting that one version of engagement is healthier than the other.
Kahneman agrees that it’s crucial to differentiate between being compulsively engaged and being intrinsically motivated at work.
Rethinking Individual Differences
Kahneman admits that there were inaccuracies in his book ‘Thinking Fast and Slow,’ but he finds it hard to unbelieve aspects of it even though his grounds for believing them are now weaker.
He has rethought the importance of studying individual differences, which he previously dismissed.
The ‘Inner Crowd’ Concept
Kahneman introduces the concept of the ‘inner crowd.’ He explains that when people are asked the same question twice, separated by some time, they tend to give different answers.
The average of these answers is more accurate than each of them separately.
Role of Intuition in Decision-Making
Despite his work highlighting the fallacies of over-relying on intuition, Kahneman admits that he follows his intuition when making decisions.
He distinguishes between judgment and decision-making, stating that most of the intuitions he has studied were fallacies of judgment rather than decision-making.
Joy of Collaboration
Kahneman shares insights from his collaboration with Amos Tversky.
He believes that being genuinely interested in what your collaborator is saying is crucial.
He also emphasizes the joy of collaboration, particularly when your collaborator understands and expands on your ideas.
Impact of Winning a Nobel Prize
Kahneman discusses the impact of winning a Nobel Prize on one’s career.
He believes that winning a Nobel Prize early in one’s career can be destructive as it can lead to self-consciousness and a shift in focus from work to public speaking.
However, he found that winning the Nobel Prize at an older age made the end of his career more productive and happier.
Critique of Positive Psychology
Kahneman criticizes the positive psychology movement for promoting a conservative stance of accepting people’s conditions as they are and making them feel better about their unchanging circumstances.
He advocates for a more proactive approach that focuses on changing circumstances and directly addressing misery.
