Have you ever noticed how differently we approach buying a car versus choosing what to watch on Netflix? One might involve spreadsheets, research, and asking friends for advice. The other? We might just click on whatever catches our eye. I argue a lot of our thinking is more like the second than the first. This argument was originally made to me by Katja Grace, but if you don’t like it it's probably my fault.

When people take something seriously – like their weight, their children's education, or a major purchase – they may become amateur researchers. They may dig through studies, compare options, and carefully weigh advice from trusted sources. But when it comes to leisure activities? Personally, I’m much more likely to go with the flow. Pick something up and see how it feels. I could do a cost benefit analysis of an hour of television, but instead [...]

---

Outline:

(01:08) Tl;dr:

(01:58) Theory:

(02:20) Evidence:

(03:41) What about evidence against the theory?

(04:41) But mostly I am thinking about my own experience.

(05:52) If the above is true, what is going on?

(05:56) First some mechanistic theories:

(07:57) And next some theories on why I personally don’t try harder:

(09:20) Times when I manage serious thinking

(10:26) Assuming it's true, how can we avoid inattentive thinking on important topics?

(12:46) Where do I see this in practice

(15:33) In conclusion:

The original text contained 11 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

---

First published:
December 17th, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/7rNf8YyvqpXZ9jBo7/careless-thinking-a-theory-of-bad-thinking

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“Careless thinking: A theory of bad thinking” by Nathan Young

LessWrong (30+ Karma)