A new research study published in Nature has investigated how people act in problem solving.
More than 1000 people participated in various tests where they would solve problems with, among other things, geometric figures and Lego.
In the test, the participants preferred to add elements, although the solution was often easier if some element had been removed.
- When people solve problems, they often think "what can I add to make it better" and not "what can I remove", says Gabrielle Adams, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and one of the researchers behind the study.
We complicate unnecessarily
Man's way of solving problems seems to be to make the problem even more complicated.
- Historically, we have always needed reminders to remember that we can delete.
It indicates that our brains simply do not think about it, says Leidy Klotz, a researcher in technology and behavioral science at the University of Virginia.
He has also been involved in the study.
During one of the tests, the participants in the study had to choose to add or delete squares on a grid to make a pattern symmetrical.
In another test, participants had to choose how many activities would be done during a trip for a successful itinerary.
There they also had to delete or add.
Can explain congested weekly schedules
In all experiments, the majority of participants chose to add additional components.
The human instinct seems to ignore the possibility of deleting, which for example may explain why we book on things even though we do not have time.
- It is when we overlook the opportunity to remove that we get overloaded weekly schedules and become stressed.
If we try to minimize instead, we can make our lives more rewarding, says Gabrielle Adams.
Do you complicate things unnecessarily? Play the clip and see how you had acted in two of the tests from the research study.