Anisha is a really good artist. She’s been working really hard to hone her skills and is looking for an opportunity to showcase her talent. She got an offer from a prestigious gallery to display her paintings but she rejected the offer. Why did she do that? The previous day she had gotten the news that she had done poorly on her mid-semester exams. This had made her doubt all her capabilities, even though her artistic skills were very separate from her academic performance. Anisha let her negative emotions and feelings of self-doubt override her logical decision-making. Her grades at school had nothing to do with her art and she would’ve probably gotten great recognition at the gallery. When we let our emotions drive and push logic to the backseat we’re falling victim to the affect heuristic.
What is the Affect Heuristic?
In a nutshell, it means operating on one’s ‘gut feelings’. The affect heuristic describes our reliance on emotions for making choices, rather than concrete information – sometimes, we may make faster and easier decisions, but we may also end up with sub-optimal outcomes.
We all know it’s difficult to make a decision when we’re in a time crunch, especially when we lack some information about the choice we need to make. The affect heuristic thus kicks in when we need to form a judgement, but we lack the right environment to deliberate upon it logically. Without reflecting on possible outcomes objectively, we tend to make snap judgements based on whether we have a positive or negative attitude towards them. This is generally determined by our past experiences and the way we remember them.
Why do we experience the Affect Heuristic?
The affect heuristic can be traced to the famous dual process theory in cognitive psychology, which posits that humans use two systems to make decisions. System 1 or the automatic system is fast, emotional and effortless while System 2 or the reflective system is slower, logical and more deliberate.
One would assume that the best decisions are made with the reflective system, resulting in better outcomes, while decisions based on the automatic system are emotional, and therefore inferior. However, Daniel Kahneman in Thinking Fast and Slow is keen to point out that the automatic system of thinking has its own advantages. It is particularly useful when you swerve to avoid a car coming on the wrong side (quite a necessary skill on Indian roads), or when you get a bad feeling about a person you meet and decide to keep your distance (you find out later that they’re a raging narcissist).
“The best decisions aren’t made with your mind, but with your instincts.” – Lionel Messi
Regardless, we need to recognize that there are times to utilize reflective thinking where we tend to default to automatic thinking. Without adequate deliberation, we perceive positive affects as low risk, and negative affects as high risk – even if it turns out that it’s the other way around. The affect heuristic thus stems from the automatic system of thinking, as do all other heuristics.
Where do we observe the Affect Heuristic?
How we vote: While deciding between prospective candidates in elections, many of us tend to favour the person who is from our community, or whose style of speaking appeals to us. We may not even be aware of their policies or their impact on our lives, even if it is something we fundamentally disagree with. Here, we let our emotions lead important decisions without taking concrete information into consideration.
Emotional appeal of anti-smoking ads:: We’ve all seen the anti-tobacco ads in Indian cinema theatres, right before the movie begins. A daughter worries for her father who smokes when she sees the ill effects of smoking on TV, touching him deeply and motivating him to quit. Some of the ads are more graphic, depicting the physical effects of diseases like mouth and lung cancer in patients. The first ad evokes a feeling of both warmth (at the relationship between father and daughter) as well as fear (of tobacco). The second type of ad is a flat-out fear appeal, which sets out to incite a feeling of dread and unease at the consequences of consuming or smoking tobacco.
Nukespeak: Governments or large corporations using words which showcase nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in a positive light is taking advantage of the affect heuristic to spin a positive narrative around something which is clearly catastrophic. Words like “Smart bombs” or “Peacekeeping missiles” downplay the risks and horrors of nuclear warfare.
Product marketing: Creating an emotional tie to a product for example evoking a sense of nostalgia or a story surrounding the product which evokes emotions. Like an antique clock with a tragic backstory about the previous owner would sell for twice as much as just an ordinary antique clock. Adding affective tags to products like: “New”, “Fresh”, “Organic”, “Natural”, “Improved”, etc. adds more perceived value to the product.
Why can the Affect Heuristic be dangerous?
The affect heuristic can be highly effective in the right hands which seek to do some good, but can be equally dangerous when utilized for darker purposes. A classic example is when the media uses language in headlines that tends to induce emotions in us that we will end up associating with the issue being discussed. This will cloud our judgement as the emotions may prevent us from reading further and learn about the factual evidence uncovered, which leads to us being uninformed, or worse, misinformed. The same goes for products that are branded “fresh”, “organic”, or “natural” in order to take advantage of people who are anxious to consume only the highest quality of food – even though the product branded thus is likely processed as well.
“The degree of one's emotions varies inversely with one's knowledge of the facts." – Bertrand Russel
How can we overcome the Affect Heuristic?
It’s important to remember that this heuristic is not something that can really be ‘overcome’, since each and every one of us has both systems of thinking which have their own use cases. However, the best we can do is avoid using this heuristic when there are important decisions to be made which warrant gathering as much information as possible, and lots of thinking and deliberation. If you’re thinking of quitting your job because you’re unhappy, make sure to do your research about alternatives, and plan a smooth exit – don’t quit on a whim because your coworker stole the sandwich with your name on it!
Wrapping Up…..
The affect heuristic is an integral part of who we are as human beings, and we must remember that we are equal parts emotion and logic. Both automatic and reflective systems of thinking have their own times to shine, and what we must do is to exercise them when the situation calls for it. When someone’s choking on their food, it’s not the time to Google ‘Alternatives to using the Heimlich Manoeuvre’!
Reethika Ravi is a Growth Associate at an edtech startup with a keen interest in behavioural science, particularly in its potential to further our understanding of humans while tackling business challenges. With a Bachelors in Economics, she also advocated for undergraduate research on campus, elevating academic writing standards. Bringing 7+ years of editorial experience, she has contributed to The Hindu and APN News via campus reporting, and she also explores behavioural economics, startups, and business on LinkedIn in addition to writing on her personal blog and newsletter.
Comments