Stressful conditions brought on by Covid, along with demanding and changing work conditions and high levels of inflation create major cognitive and emotional challenges and exhaustion for many people. Different personality types handle these conditions in a distinctive manner. Sapolsky (2017) notes that people become more conservative in their thinking and decision-making when stressed and tired. Both conservative thinkers and liberal thinkers look for simple solutions and answers when stressed and tired. Most people it would seem are more likely to accept a simple answer from an expert or leader – even if it’s wrong or a lie – when they are overloaded and exhausted. The problem with this scenario, of course, is that most of us are completely unaware of our tendency to do this.
Doing Something About Our Ignorance
Unfortunately, the reversion to more primitive regions of our brain is usually well hidden. Most of us would likely vehemently argue that we would NEVER be as fickle as to respond more favorably to one person over another simply because one of the two were better looking! Few of us would admit to being “primed” by simple words we read or hear (even in the background), which then unknowingly influence how we view and interact with someone moments later. Research studies have shown that seeing images about retirement homes and old people make young students walk slower and act fatigued compared with control groups who have not viewed these images. Do these findings apply to any of us—or are they just applicable to college-aged students taking a Sophomore psychological course?
Subtle factors (heuristics) that drive emotions, thoughts and decision-making beyond conscious awareness
Many studies would suggest that findings such as these relate to all of us. The behavioral scientists identify something that they call Heuristics. These are mental shortcuts or “rules of thumb” that we develop over our lifetimes. We all make use of Heuristics. They are essential for us to make quick decisions without the need for more complex and slow event processing and decision-making. They are not just being used by college Sophomores. Furthermore, these Heuristics serve as the foundation for what we have frequently identified as fast thinking (contrasting with slow thinking). This is an important distinction for which we continue to thank Daniel Kahneman (2011).
Most of us are likely to think we are quite aware and consistent in our behaviors. However, in fact most of us are heavily influenced by individual biases and various social norms in different circumstances of which we are largely unaware. For example, some of us behave very differently at work, then we do in various social settings, or at home or at church. In this essay we have described how our behavior can be influenced by sources of which we are unaware. It is surprising and often uncomfortable for us to acknowledge this influence. This awareness is nevertheless powerful and positive. We must become more aware of these influencers and develop techniques to manage our responses to them. Leadership coaches are in a strong position to help clients become more aware of their individual drivers and provide techniques to overcome negative outcomes.
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