#174: Framing Effect, Smoking Monks Parable & Digital Detox
3 Ideas in 2 Minutes on Developing Perspective
I. Framing Effect
Framing is a technique to influence or manipulate the way an issue is presented and conceptualised. The framing can be positive or negative, depending on the perspective you choose to highlight.
In a 1981 study, psychologists Tversky and Kahneman presented participants with a scenario of a hypothetical disease outbreak that would kill 600 people. They framed the two treatment programs based on their outcomes:
If Program A is adopted, 200 people will be saved. [72 percent]
If Program B is adopted, there is 1/3 probability that 600 people will be saved, and 2/3 probability that no people will be saved. [28 percent]
Despite essentially describing the same outcomes, participants tended to favour the positively framed program A. It goes to show how framing an issue positively or negatively can significantly change our decisions.
II. Smoking Monks Parable
This becomes even more important when we talk about negotiation and persuasion. A case in point is the Smoking Monks Parable:
Persuasion is often a function of how an issue is framed. Consider a story of two heavy smokers in a monastery. The two monks fretted about whether it was appropriate to smoke while praying.
Seeking direction, the first monk, a less-than-sophisticated persuader, asked his abbot, “Father Abbot, is it permissible for me to smoke while I pray?”
“Absolutely not!” responded the abbot. “When you pray, you should only be praying!”
The second smoker, a far savvier persuader, approached the abbot. “Father Abbot, I smoke in moments of great weakness. Would it be acceptable at those times of great weakness to pray to the Lord?”
“Of course!” said the abbot.
—John A. Daly, h/t to KunleAdebajo
III. Digital Detox
Speaking of unhealthy addictions. Too much information can lead to the Truck Problem; Nassim Taleb’s observation that “more data — such as paying attention to the eye colours of the people around when crossing the street — can make you miss the big truck”.
Similarly, being too online can create a distorted perspective of reality. Digital Detox allows you to reclaim your time, reconnect with the world around you and restore by unplugging from the constant demands of technology and the media. It’ll give you a new perspective.
Have a great week,
Chris
themindcollection.com