Summertime is here. No more black on the blog.
Did you know that we have a physical bias towards the negative? We can’t help it. Our brains have an easier time being pesimistic than optimistic about things. The brain is connected that way because of evolution of course. Reacting quickly and negatively upon meeting something resembling a snake has been to the advantage of those genetic abilities, while reacting quickly and positively (ah! candy snake!) has been… well… fatal when making the wrong assessment. Even if candy snakes were, in fact, more common in those days, being mistaken in that direction was also disadvantageous. Just not lethally so. Evolution physchologists refer to this as “the principle of the least costly mistake”.
And you know what – we do the exact same thing in our business. It’s easy to have a negative bias (that campaign sucks, that ad’s been done before, bla bla bla) because the cost of being mistaken is so little. Sticking your throat out saying you like something is much more dangerous (what!? do you think THAT is GOOD?!?! You’re an idiot!).
At least that’s what evolutionary psychology tells us. And it seems to me that it’s true about a lot of people in this industry. I DON’T think however that the principle of the least costly mistake holds true here anymore, if that means having a negative bias is advantageous. I don’t think it is. People will respect you less, you will respect you less, you will get less inspired, you’ll be less creative, etc. So guys and girls – let’s see what we can do about this – what’s the best piece you’ve seen today, this week, this month. Comment and tell me.
(Ps. I will perhaps get back to this topic later. It really holds some gems of insight).