The Four-Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment


## Notes

- Mental models are frameworks, worldviews, representations, or explanations of how something works. They're how we understand the world.

- They shape the connections we create among systems.

- They're thinking tools that we use to solve problems and make decisions.

- They help us overcome the [hyperbolic discounting](/zettelkasten/hyperbolic-discounting) problem.

- Without mental models, you rely on your current emotions or instincts.

- They're imperfect but useful.

- The bigger your mental model toolbox, the more likely you're to have the right models to see reality.

  - If you look at the problem in a single way, you've got a blind spot.

- For instance, imagine that there is a party. We can see it in these ways:
  - Business: the profit by selling invitations or drinks.
  - Psychology: the music and the mood it creates on the participants.
  - Anthropology: the human interactions.

## References

- [James Clear. Mental Models: Learn How to Think Better and Gain a Mental Edge](https://jamesclear.com/mental-models)

- [fs. Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions (~100 Models Explained)](https://fs.blog/mental-models/)

- [Julian Shapiro. Mental models](https://www.julian.com/blog/mental-model-examples)

## Backlinks
- [The Four-Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment](/zettelkasten/the-four-criteria-model-for-choosing-actions-in-the-moment)

Mental Models


## Notes

- It was identified by psychologists [David Dunning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dunning) and [Justin Kruger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Kruger) in a 1999 study.
  - This identification derived from the criminal [case of McArthur Wheeler](https://steemit.com/steemstem/@rsc227/the-curious-case-of-mcarthur-wheeler), who robbed two banks while his face was covered with lemon juice because he thought that the juice would make it invisible.
- `Is a cognitive bias hypothesis in which people with low ability at a given task overestimate their ability at that task.`
  - Comes from people's inability to recognize their lack of ability and poor self-awareness.
  - Comes from people's ignorance of a given activity's standards of performance.
  - If you don't have the competency, you can't know you don't have competency in a task. The skills you need to produce the right response about your competency are the same skills you need to know what a right response is.
- Deficits in skill and expertise create a two-prolonged problem.
  1. People perform poorly in the domain in which they're incompetent.
  2. The incompetence makes them unable to recognize their mistakes.

## References

- [Dunning-Kruger Effect 101](https://twitter.com/SahilBloom/status/1350077522935832576)
- [Dunning–Kruger effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect)
- [The Dunning-Kruger Effect](https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-4160740)


Dunning-Kruger Effect


## Notes

- `This theory states that humans discount the value of a later reward, by the factor that increases with the length of the delay.`

- It's mathematically described as:

$$
g(D) = \frac{1}{1 + kD}
$$

where $g(D)$ is the discount factor that multiples the reward's value, $D$ is the delay, and $k$ is the factor governing the degree of discounting.

- This is the reason that humans prefer short-term to long-term rewards.

- It reveals a tendency to make choices that are inconsistent over time.
  - We regret some decisions we made in the past, despite knowing the same information.

## References

- [Wikipedia. Hyperbolic discounting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbolic_discounting)

## Backlinks
- [Mental Models](/zettelkasten/mental-models)

Hyperbolic Discounting


## Notes

- `When faced with a problem, people tend to prefer solutions that add new elements rather than removing elements, even if removing is the more efficient solution.`

- It can be considered as a [system mental model](/zettelkasten/system-mental-models) because it explains how our mind works.

- Experiments show that people tend to consider subtracting more if cues are given or if they had more time and opportunities to analyze the problem.

  - Subtractive solutions take more effort to find.

- Other reasons for this effect.

  - People tend to continue investing in things for which time, money or effort has already been spent, the sunk cost bias.

  - Greater likelihood that additive solutions will be appreciated.

## References

- [Nature. People systematically overlook subtractive changes](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03380-y.epdf)

- [Diana Kwon. Our Brain Typically Overlooks This Brilliant Problem-Solving Strategy](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/our-brain-typically-overlooks-this-brilliant-problem-solving-strategy/)


People Systematically Overlook Subtractive Changes


## Notes

- Currently, humans are living in what researchers call a **Delayed Return Environment**.
  - We worry about problems that won't be solved immediately by our actions - we work today to get a paycheck in a few weeks, for instance.
- `The Delayed Return Environment causes chronic anxiety and stress because our brain was designed to live in an Immediate Return Environment.`
  - Our brain has roughly the same size as our ancestors of two hundred thousand years ago.
  - On the other side, society became mostly a Delayed Return Environment about 500 years ago, which is a very small window of time for our brain to evolve.
- The Immediate Return Environment creates some stress and anxiety. It was necessary to help our ancestors (and some wild animals) to survive.
  - A lion appears -> you feel stressed -> you run away to survive -> the stress is relieved.
- Nowadays, we still expect the same process, except that the relived part doesn't occur immediately.
  - We imagine our future -> we need money to live well -> we study to get a good job -> but we **don't** get a job (and money) immediately. This causes chronic stress and anxiety because it isn't relieved.
- Living and Delayed Return Environment means you're surrounded by uncertainty. We can do two things to minimize it:

  1. **Measure something**. When we measure something, we transform the unknown quantity and make it known, and you became more certain of something.
     - For instance, if you're looking for a job, count how many companies you sent your resume to.
  2. **Shift your worry**. Instead of worrying about a long-term problem, focus on a daily routine that will solve your problem.
     - Instead of worrying about living longer, focus on doing some exercises today.

## References

- [James Clear. The Evolution of Anxiety: Why We Worry and What to Do About It](https://jamesclear.com/evolution-of-anxiety)


The Evolution of Anxiety

Last Mile in a Software Project

No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs

The 90-90 Rule


## Notes

- Is a mental state in which a person is performing an activity:
  - fully immersed;
  - high focus;
  - full involvement and enjoyment.
- `It's the most efficient state when doing a task.`
- Lose awareness of all other things.
- The person may lose the sense of time.
- Named by [Mihály Csíkszentmihályi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi) in 1975.
- Three conditions have to be met to achieve a flow state:
  1. Clear goals and progress.
  1. Clear and immediate feedback.
  1. The task difficult must match the person's skill level.
     - If task difficult < person skill: boredom.
     - If task difficult = person skill: **flow**.
     - If task difficult > person skill: anxiety.
- According to [Mihály Csíkszentmihályi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi), we can process about 110 bits of information per second.
  - Person in flow state decided to use all these bits on the task.
  - There is no more attention to be allocated.

## References

- [Flow (psychology)](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)>)
- [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Flow, the secret to happiness](https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_flow_the_secret_to_happiness/transcript?language=en)

## Backlinks
- [Last Mile in a Software Project](/articles/last-mile-in-a-software-project)
- [No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs](/books/no-bs-time-management-for-entrepreneurs)
- [The 90-90 Rule](/zettelkasten/the-90-90-rule)

Flow State (Psychology)

Procrastination


## Notes

- `It's the instinctive seeking of pleasure and avoiding of pain to satisfy biological and psychological needs.`

## References

- [Wikipedia. Pleasure principle (psychology)](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasure_principle_(psychology)>)

## Backlinks
- [Procrastination](/zettelkasten/procrastination)

Pleasure Principle (Psychology)


## Notes

- `Psychological triggers are the stimulus that creates a reaction in a brain and/or body without he/she notices.`
- We don't know exactly how triggers are formed, but some theories exist.

## References

- [Trigger](<https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/trigger#:~:text=A%20trigger%20in%20psychology%20is,describing%20posttraumatic%20stress%20(PTSD).>)

## Backlinks
- [No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs](/books/no-bs-time-management-for-entrepreneurs)

Psychological Trigger


## Notes

- People are becoming more digital in modern society.
  - We spend more time on the Internet than on TVs or newspapers.
- `People use the Internet to connect to others, entertainment, or to be informed.`
- The digital content that informs has three levels of relevance, from the less to more relevant:
  1. Only informs.
  2. Informs and does some analysis.
  3. Informs, does some analysis, and gives a recommendation.
- If you want to increase the importance of your content, you may add some [psychological trigger](/zettelkasten/psychological-trigger.md), also described as [psychology of selling by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D](/zettelkasten/-robert-b-cialdinis-psychology-of-selling.md).
  - For instance, if the content author is an authority, his/her recommendation will have more relevance.


Information and Digital Content in Modern Society


## Notes

- Some psychological addiction terms:

  - FOMO: Fear of Missing Out.
  - ATUS: Addiction to Useless Information.
  - PROM: Pleasure of Receiving Messages.

- The existence of such terms shows that exists a psycho-emotional manipulation engineered into social media.

- Social media creates to users a sense of belonging and redefines their way of being.

- `Anxiety, depression, loneliness, and addiction are problems caused by social media addiction.`

- It's good for social media companies that the users spend much time as possible on their platforms.

  - Most of the money these companies made is directly tied to the time users spend on their platforms.

- Swiping right, double-clicking to like a post, receiving likes, and others generate ephemeral [dopamine](/zettelkasten/dopamine) bursts.

## Questions

- How do you know if you're social media addicted?

## References

- [Mark D. Griffiths Ph.D. Addicted to Social Media?](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201805/addicted-social-media)

## Backlinks
- [No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs](/books/no-bs-time-management-for-entrepreneurs)

#psychology