My apologies for my longstanding absence in posting on this blog (Ryan). As Amberly so eloquently stated, our lives have slowed down in one sense. We may not be "scheduling time to shower" as Amberly apparently did in college, however the speed at which life progresses actually seems to be increasing. Take for example a conversation Amberly, Sara and I had on our drive up to Okoboji this past weekend; the discussion circled around the fact that Sara is now officially in her late 20's (gasp). We will celebrate Sara's 27th birthday on June 28th which effectively transitions her out of being a "young adult" and propels her into full blown adulthood. Now, the difference in time elasping between ages 21-22 or ages 26-27 is the exact same, so why does it feel so different to people? I'd imagine for many people the psychological age change happens from 29-30 or 39-40..etc. I love when people say "this year flew by!" Really? As opposed to last year? Must of been leap year... Is time changing speeds or is it the speed of change that is shifting our psychological perspective? Ok, this is getting philisophical - let's go with it.
I spent the morning talking with people about pyschological decision making. Interestingly enough, scientists have shown 70% of any decision to be based on emotion, leaving only 30% to rational thought. I'll give you a scenario:
Imagine you are President of the United States as a pandemic breaks out in a small town of 600 people. The town is quarantined so these individuals are the only people that can possible be affected. You have two options in dealing with the crisis:
- Option one guarentees you will save 200 people
- Option two offers a 1/3 probability that you will save all 600 and a 2/3's probability that all 600 will die
Which option do you take? The vast majority of people will take option one. Now, what if I rephrase option one to say "Option one will kill 400 people." Do you still take option one over option two? Probably not. Rationally, Option one is the exact same, therefore if you were a rational decision maker it wouldn't make any difference. Fact is, emotion plays a much larger role in human behavior.
Here is one more interesting example for you to ponder:
You are standing on top of a bridge watching a train hurl down the tracks below you. Five hundred yards ahead you see five people tied to the tracks who will die instantly if the train hits them. On the bridge is a lever which will immediately stop the train, however if you pull the lever one person somewhere else will instantly die.
Do you pull the lever, saving five people to sacifice only one? Our ultilitarian nature says yes, most people would. Now change the story slightly; to save the five people you have to push the generously proportioned person standing next to you off the bridge so the train will hit him - thus derailing the train from the tracks. Would you do it?
Rationally speaking, the decision is the exact same- kill one to save five. However, very few people would say they would push the individual. This is an emotional decision and emotional behavior.
I think these examples provide an interesting parellel to our conversation about age and the speed at which time goes by. Moreover, if we understand the role emotions play in decision making, how do we then use that to promote certain behaviors/decisions?
In closing, Sara is turning 27 which is closer to 30 than 20. But what if I were to say "Sara is half the age of Madonna!" Does that elicit a different perception of her age?
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