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By Alexandra Maria Ionică
What are Heuristics?
Heuristics are mental shortcuts that play an important role in decision-making and problem-solving, as they help people use reason or past experiences to solve current problems more efficiently. Quick solutions involve mental strategies that simplify the process and result in a conclusion, which may not be optimal, or irrational and inaccurate, but is often sufficient given limited time and computing capacity, and thus the result of immediate judgment. However, while the final decision may not be the ideal one, the speed on which level it is made can compensate for the disadvantage of a limited set of data which the thought process took place with.
What are the effects of using Heuristics?
Although the use of Heuristics can be described as bad decision-making, there are many situations where they can lead to good decisions. Despite this, the result may be favorable, but it has not been achieved by logical means, as it is the case with a reason-based decision when all important information is considered. Less relevant aspects tend to be overvalued during this process, therefore, even if the decision favors the situation at hand, it was not made because of a properly justified reason.
Given what has been mentioned above, we are entitled to consider the advantages and disadvantages of using Heuristics, and with this belief I will elaborate on this topic. One of the main advantages of using Heuristics is that it allows the brain to provide, as a result, a good enough decision in a short time, without having all the necessary information that should be analyzed at its disposal and without having to perform complex calculations. Thus, this pathway provides an immediate response and consumes a small amount of mental energy, allowing the brain to use its resources for more complex purposes.
Next, it is important to note that it is difficult for people to obtain and process all the information needed to make an accurate and fully rational decision, which is why they look for alternatives to use the information they have at their disposal and get a good enough result. For this reason, Heuristics gives people the opportunity to overcome their cognitive limitations.
On the other hand, even though Heuristics can be fast and not very mentally or energy-consuming, the use of this way of decision-making can cause us to take into account various cognitive biases, which can lead to errors. However, being aware of this fact can help us avoid them, which is why, despite an unfavorable context, the result will be optimal and helpful in the situation.
Heuristics can also cause human behavior to be based on biases and can have powerful influences on our understanding of the world as well as economic behavior. Behavioral economics is built around several principles, including Heuristics, and is the study of the psychology of economic decision-making, exploring why people make irrational decisions.
Heuristics and Artificial Intelligence. Is there any difference between Heuristics and algorithms?
Machine learning tools and Artificial Intelligence already use a concept similar to Heuristics to manage to convey information to the user in the shortest amount of time possible. Simple Artificial Intelligence tools work by using a set of rules embedded and encoded in the system, which provides the possibility to make a decision and ultimately to present the material requested by the user. Heuristics algorithms can be used in the process of solving advanced computational problems, providing efficient and approximate solutions.
From the point of view of psychology, Heuristics and Algorithms are distinct terms, since the latter constitute a finite set of instructions that must be followed to perform a computation leading to predictable and accurate results, while Heuristics are mental shortcuts that rely on assumptions and processes a minimal set of information to provide a decision in the shortest possible time. With that being said, algorithms result in a precise conclusion, while Heuristics do not.
How do we make better decisions?
Take your time
The chances of an error in judgment occurring increase when a person is under pressure to make a decision. Whenever possible, it is beneficial to take deep breaths and occupy your time with activities that relax you so that you can distract yourself from the stressful element. When you feel it's time to come back to the decision, you may discover a new perspective from which to look at the situation, which can help you to see things more clearly and make a better decision.
Identify the purpose
Ask yourself what will be the effects of your decisions in society, or what will be their impact on you, for example. At times, we tend to focus on what will produce good for ourselves and work in our favor, without knowing what that actually entails. For a few moments, think about the result you want to achieve and how you can accomplish this without producing a long-term negative impact that ultimately undoes the joy of the advantage you have built.
Recognize destructive thinking
Quick decision-making can be influenced by emotions triggered by previous experiences, which is why stress, anger, or excitement can sometimes lead to hasty conclusions that we would not normally agree with. Although the common tendency is to choose only one path when making a decision, it is important to be aware that emotions can negatively affect what we think and cause us not to see the whole picture. This is why it is important to know all the possibilities available to us to make the best choice.
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