We all know that temperament is one of the most important quality not only in the investment field but also in our life. If we work on our emotional biases then we can win any battle. To excel in temperament, first, we need to be aware of the various biases. So now onwards, I will illustrate various biases and how we can excel it and use it in our life. This entire series will be review with various examples from books which are “Thinking, Fast and Slow” and “The Art of Thinking Clearly“.
When we look at the face of woman, we immediately responded that she is angry and we also assume that what she can do next. This thinking is known as fast or intuitive thinking.
But what happens when any mathematical problem comes?
17*24
Now, we come to know that we have to do a calculation to reach out with a true answer as well as to reject a false answer.
Here, we realize that this problem is of multiplication and then we start implementing it. This step by step procedure slows down our response. Deliberate, effortful and orderly procedures are the prototype of slow thinking. When we face such problems then not only our mind works but heartbeat changes, blood pressure rate changes, etc. So that body also experiences it. When we are into known situation or problem, we can easily handle it and our mind, body, heartbeat does not change so rapidly. But when we are into the unknown situation which requires huge mental efforts then our mind starts processing it slowly, heartbeat, the body will feel that unknown situation.
Why does such a difference happen?
System 1 works on patterns and system 2 works on thoughts construction in an orderly manner. So that when we have seen the face of woman, our mind has searched for different patterns which we have experienced in the past and our brain throw matched pattern quickly which comes as a conclusion that woman is angry. While the mathematical problem is not storing under our mind and that requires to perform a calculation which slows down brain work.
We have been kept on learning about various things over a period, those learning got stored under memories and it comes out automatically when a similar recognizable pattern occurs. Such memories come as a conclusion without any intention and efforts.
System 2 also have abilities such as system 1. For that, we have to set our mind. For example, when we search our name in the merit list, we search with our initial. Those activities demand our efforts, we generally do not perform it with other activities. And which activities are automatically coming, naturally happens, we can perform other activities with it.
When some situations demand our attention, we generally do not see or hear anything else.
For example – We need to count ball passes by one to another person in below video.
Majority of us have missed something unusual which has occurred in the video, come out of a gorilla. Majority of us have not noticed because we have given a task of counting passes. This counting requires an effort and that makes us blind to focus on coming out of a gorilla. This event indicates that we can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness. We are not aware of our inability to observe things happening surrounding while we perform some task which requires mental efforts.
When we have put efforts on price moments of particular stock then we going to be blind with what happening towards the business side. Management of the company who is engaged towards the stock price then he will lose focus towards the business and that will fail in business.