Thread by @piyush2911

Limitations of an Optimized Mindset
A thread 🧵on the problem of optimization!

1/ Finding an optimal solution through an efficient algorithm is how a trained technologist looks at any computational problem.

But as soon as this mindset is extended to real-world problems, the majority of inefficiencies become annoying.

#solutions #efficiency #productivity

2/ In fact, the real problem starts when everything in life becomes an optimization problem.

So much so that eventually, it becomes a defining orientation to life as well.

#problem #life #problemsolving

3/ For example, Rob Rhinehart viewed food as a time-consuming hassle. He tried to treat it as an engineering problem & came up with the idea of Soylent (meal replacement).

Coincidently, for a majority of people, food is not just a delivery mechanism for one’s nutritional needs.

4/ Food is a daily opportunity to relish gustatory pleasure, that too while spending time with their loved ones.

As long as the meal replacement option is an alternative, it’s okay. But wanting to scale it and make it universal is farfetched.

#HealthyEating #mealreplacement

5/ A focus on optimization can lead someone to believe that increasing efficiency is inherently a good thing.

Perhaps, that's why it’s not difficult to find so much productivity porn on the internet.

#efficiency #productivity #hack

6/ But we all know; how difficult it is to come up with a novel idea while we’re completely immersed in our To-Do List.

Still, we are obsessed with the idea of organizing our life and relationships like a precision clock.

#life #productivity #idea

7/ A strictly logical approach to problem-solving gives the reassuring impression that you are very close to solving the problem.

“But when you’re not thinking, you are merely being logical.”—Niels Bohr

#thinking #problemsolving

8/ Therefore, we must resist our natural urge to attach a rational explanation to everything we do.

Because more often than not, the number one problem with looking for a logical solution is that it kills off serendipity.

#rational #logical #problemsolving

9/ Do you know initially “soap” was sold on its ability to increase your attractiveness more than on its hygienic powers.

The scent in the soap was not there to make the soap effective, but to make it attractive to users.

#soap #psychology #decisions

10/ A logical person gifted with an optimized mind might see the scenting of the soap as silly.

Brushing is another example that contradicts the logical explanation.

#logic #problemsolving #decisions

11/ If we were really interested in minimizing the risk of tooth decay, we would brush our teeth after every meal, yet almost nobody does this.

When are you more likely to clean your teeth? After eating pastries, or when you’re going on a date.

#food #teeth #decay

12/ If we're in denial about unconscious motivation, it is far easier to forget to put scent in the soap and mint in the toothpaste.

As long as someone is having a narrow view of human motivation, it becomes difficult to make them see the limitations of an optimized mindset.

13/ In fact, G.K. Chesterton's comment on efficiency sounds so relevant here,

“The part you think is wasted is the part that actually works.”

And do keep in mind that the need to quantify produces a bias toward measuring things that are easy to quantify.

Thanks for reading!

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I love to play at the intersection of Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, and philosophy.

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