Episode 182: Cognitive Biases Examples - 12.Status Quo Bias

🎉 CHECK OUT THE COGNITIVE BIASES PLAYLIST - https://bit.ly/cognitivebiasesexamples

In today’s podcast episode, I’m going to share with you cognitive biases examples. And we’ll specifically dive deeper into one of the most common cognitive distortions called Status quo bias.

Tune in to find the answers to the following questions:

• What is Status quo bias?
• What are some examples of Status quo bias?
• What does Status quo bias look like in action?

►  DOWNLOAD FREE CHEAT SHEET: https://bit.ly/15biases

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to The Simplify Your Life Podcast,
where we talk about how to create a life you won’t need an escape from! I’m Coach Simona,
author of the book “111 Ways to Simplify Your Life”, and I’m glad you decided to tune in!
Now, before get into status quo bias and some helpful examples when it comes to this cognitive

(00:21):
distortion, I want to remind you that this is the twelfth episode of my series on Cognitive Biases,
and there will be 3 more to come in the upcoming months, so stay tuned for that.
If you haven’t listened to the previous episodes, I will leave links to them in the description box below.
Now, before we explore status quo bias in-depth,
let’s clarify what a cognitive bias actually means.
A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that affects

(00:42):
the decisions and judgments that you make. Another popular term that has the
exact same meaning as cognitive biases is cognitive distortion.
Now, as we mentioned, the cognitive bias
we’re going to explore in-depth today is called status quo bias.
What does this cognitive distortion actually mean? Status quo bias refers to having an
emotional preference for the current situation,
causing you to make non-rational decisions to stay where you are.

For example (01:04):
‘Finding a new job is  scary, so I'm going to stay in this one.”
Another example of status quo bias is when you go to the same restaurant and
order the same meal every single time, although you want to try something new.
You prefer to order the “safe” option and keep the status quo, instead of risking it.
​​Status quo bias is at play here. When you’re making the decision, you’re not viewing the

(01:25):
situation objectively. You’re trying to keep yourself safe, and instead of going for something
new and exciting, you prefer to do what you’ve always done so you don’t disappoint yourself.
As with any other cognitive bias, status quo bias can be difficult to detect,
so we need to be aware of its manifestations to be
able to spot our error in thinking and choose a better, more objective view of the situation.

The question is (01:47):
do we all struggle with  status quo bias or is that something that
only happens to a handful of us? The short answer is: probably yes. While
we can’t confirm that that is the case for every single person on planet Earth,
it’s definitely something that’s quite common for us, humans.
We all have cognitive biases and blind spots, so although we may not struggle with status quo
bias per se, we’ll definitely have problems with other cognitive biases. I’ve actually made a free

(02:11):
downloadable cheat sheet with the top 15 cognitive biases that might be holding you back. So if you
want to download it, just click the link in the description box below or head over to:
bit.ly/15biases
Now, let’s go back to status quo bias.Here are a few examples to illustrate this bias:
Let’s say you have a subscription to a streaming service, and even though there are many other

(02:32):
platforms, you stick with your current one simply because it's what you're used to.
Another example of status quo bias is not being open to new ideas at work
on how to do things better. There’s an easy way to spot if that’s what’s going
on. You might be having thoughts like, “But we’ve always done it like that.”
Dealing with status quo bias doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with you or that you’re
being overly conservative or rigid when it comes to trying out new things. This

(02:56):
is a cognitive bias, which means it’s going to happen whether or not you want it to happen.
So how can you change that?One thing you can do to
become more aware of status quo bias is to realize why it happens in the first place.
As humans, we tend to always try to conserve energy and seek stability.
The familiar feels safe and requires less mental effort than exploring new options.

(03:17):
Status quo bias is often driven by our fear of making the wrong decision or having regrets.
There’s a direct correlation between dealing with status quo bias and our amygdala, which is the
part of our brain responsible for processing emotions. It generates a sense of comfort and
stability, making it difficult for us to break free from our current habits and routines.

(03:37):
The more objective you are about your own cognitive biases,
the easier it would be to spot status quo bias next time you feel hesitant to go outside your
comfort zone and try out something new instead.As you can see, before we come to any conclusions,
it would be beneficial to step back and view the situation objectively. So, how can we do that?
What can help a lot when it comes to spotting status quo
bias is to ask yourself the following questions:

(03:59):
1. Is this a fact?
2. What evidence can I collect to support this statement?
3.Am I being rational here, or is this a cognitive bias?
4.If this is a cognitive bias, which one is it?
These questions will make even more sense as we go deeper into the Cognitive Biases series.
If you’re curious to see what else we’re going to cover in the next few months,

(04:22):
make sure to download your free cheat sheet by visiting:
bit.ly/15biases
Thanks so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this podcast episode,
please like it, subscribe, and I’ll see you in the next one!