Is it True

Is your lizard brain fooling you? Is it your first thought? Is it true?

Is It Real?

Just because you think it, is it real? Human beings are hard wired to believe whatever pops into their mind. Often, they believe the first thing that pops into their mind, whether it is true, or not. They think it, it must be true. It pops into their mind easily; it must be really true!

What is true is that these things, true or not, are available to your mind. That is what is true. The reality is that just because you think a thing, it is not necessarily true. It is simply available to be thought!

Our prehistoric ancestors were constantly thinking about avoiding predators that were above them on the food chain. That thought was fully available to their minds. They survived because of that. Because of that, a rustling in the dry leaves of the underbrush alerted them to the presence of a saber tooth tiger, even though it was only a mouse. Their retelling of the experience in the cave was of how they escaped death by running quickly away from the lurking tiger. It was the picture and story of the experience that was most available to their mind. Fear of tigers is much more available, and memorable, than fear of mice!

As humans we have available pictures of the most momentous occurrences. In modern times we might picture ourselves being involved in a fiery car crash and escaping heroically. We picture that much more clearly than we picture ourselves having our oil changed and tire pressure checked. One image looms large and dramatic, the other, not so much. One involves flash and fear and notoriety. The other presents itself as quiet and mundane. One jumps into our imagination quickly, the other goes un-pictured and may only be realized as an obligation.

As modern humans we fall victim to the rustling in the grass. We are presented with a situation and rush to assume the solution is the first one that pops into our head. We seldom say “Hey, let me research that and get back to you.” Instead we propose what seems like a tried and true solution, even if there is no real basis for it as a solution. We thought of it. We thought of it quickly. It must be right!

Repetition works the same way. We tend to hear statements repeated over and over. If we have heard it before, and before, and before, it must be true. After all, we have heard it before! What is happening is that the statement has become available in our mind. It is easy for us to go there, pull up the statement, and believe it is true. No real vetting has taken place.

This principal of repetition making something true, is a basis for much of advertising. Marketers consciously repeat a statement that something is the best, or that everyone is using it, or that you need it. These may not actually be verifiable. Is it really the best? Is everyone using it? And how much do you really need it?

The number of repetitions of these statements that is needed to make this truth and create a purchase is in the single digits. Seven repetitions are really all that is needed to make the thought available to your brain. This recall works for almost any product.

Apply the marketing repetition to other subjects. Health, politics, religion, all are possible areas where repetition and mental availability are not only possible, but are probable. Our prehistoric, lizard brains made it possible for us to apply stated reasons to every situation. Research, comparative thinking, investigation all take time. We learned in the long ago past, that taking that kind of time took effort and might mean getting eaten! Better to just accept that first thought and run!

The next time you watch a commercial, listen to a politically biased speaker or expose yourself to a proposed idea, stop. Think. Investigate. Get a second or third opinion from one or more sources. Then evaluate the thought. Is the information credible, or just available?

Your brain has evolved since the days of fight or flight. You are still in a struggle for survival, but have the mental ability and access to information that will enable you to determine if the rustle in the leaves is a mouse, or a tiger.

Don’t be a victim of the availability bias. Be a critical thinker. You won’t get eaten on the spot. You might even avoid a mad dash home to the cave!