Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat
-
0:01 - 0:03I'm going to start
on a slightly somber note. -
0:04 - 0:07Two thousand and seven, five years ago,
-
0:07 - 0:10my wife gets diagnosed with breast cancer.
-
0:11 - 0:12Stage IIB.
-
0:14 - 0:17Now, looking back, the most
harrowing part of that experience -
0:17 - 0:19was not just the hospital visits --
-
0:19 - 0:22these were very painful
for my wife, understandably so. -
0:22 - 0:26It was not even the initial shock
of knowing that she had breast cancer -
0:26 - 0:27at just 39 years old,
-
0:27 - 0:29absolutely no history
of cancer in her family. -
0:30 - 0:34The most horrifying and agonizing part
of the whole experience -
0:34 - 0:38was we were making decisions
after decisions after decisions -
0:38 - 0:40that were being thrust upon us.
-
0:40 - 0:43Should it be a mastectomy?
Should it be a lumpectomy? -
0:43 - 0:46Should it be a more
aggressive form of treatment, -
0:46 - 0:47given that it was stage IIB?
-
0:48 - 0:49With all the side effects?
-
0:49 - 0:51Or should it be a less
aggressive form of treatment? -
0:52 - 0:55And these were being thrust
upon us by the doctors. -
0:56 - 0:58Now you could ask this question,
-
0:58 - 1:00why were the doctors doing this?
-
1:00 - 1:01A simplistic answer would be,
-
1:01 - 1:02the doctors are doing this
-
1:02 - 1:05because they want to protect
themselves legally. -
1:06 - 1:08I think that is too simplistic.
-
1:08 - 1:09These are well-meaning doctors,
-
1:09 - 1:12some of them have gone on
to become very good friends. -
1:12 - 1:14They probably were simply
following the wisdom -
1:14 - 1:16that has come down through the ages,
-
1:16 - 1:18this adage that when
you're making decisions, -
1:18 - 1:20especially decisions of importance,
-
1:20 - 1:22it's best to be in charge,
it's best to be in control, -
1:22 - 1:24it's best to be in the driver's seat.
-
1:25 - 1:27And we were certainly
in the driver's seat, -
1:27 - 1:29making all these decisions.
-
1:29 - 1:31And let me tell you --
if some of you have been there, -
1:31 - 1:34it was a most agonizing
and harrowing experience. -
1:35 - 1:36Which got me thinking.
-
1:36 - 1:39I said, is there any validity
to this whole adage -
1:39 - 1:41that when you're making decisions,
-
1:41 - 1:43it's best to take the driver's seat,
-
1:43 - 1:45be in charge, be in control?
-
1:45 - 1:49Or are there contexts
where we're far better off -
1:49 - 1:50taking the passenger's seat
-
1:50 - 1:51and have someone else drive?
-
1:51 - 1:53For example, a trusted financial advisor,
-
1:53 - 1:55could be a trusted doctor, etc.
-
1:56 - 1:59And since I study human decision making,
-
1:59 - 2:01I said, I'm going to run some studies
-
2:01 - 2:03to find some answers.
-
2:03 - 2:06And I'm going to share one
of these studies with you today. -
2:06 - 2:10So, imagine that all of you
are participants in the study. -
2:10 - 2:13I want to tell you that
what you're going to do in the study is, -
2:13 - 2:15you're going to drink a cup of tea.
-
2:16 - 2:19If you're wondering why, I'll tell you why
in a few seconds from now. -
2:19 - 2:22You are going to solve
a series of puzzles, -
2:22 - 2:26and I'm going to show you examples
of these puzzles momentarily. -
2:26 - 2:28And the more puzzles you solve,
-
2:28 - 2:30the greater the chances
that you'll win some prizes. -
2:31 - 2:33Now, why do you have to consume the tea?
-
2:33 - 2:35Why? Because it makes a lot of sense:
-
2:35 - 2:38In order to solve these puzzles
effectively, if you think about it, -
2:38 - 2:42your mind needs to be in two states
simultaneously, right? -
2:42 - 2:44It needs to be alert,
-
2:44 - 2:46for which caffeine is very good.
-
2:47 - 2:50Simultaneously, it needs to be calm --
-
2:50 - 2:51not agitated, calm --
-
2:51 - 2:53for which chamomile is very good.
-
2:55 - 2:58Now comes the between-subjects design,
-
2:58 - 3:00the AB design, the AB testing.
-
3:00 - 3:04So what I'm going to do is randomly
assign you to one of two groups. -
3:04 - 3:06So imagine that there is
an imaginary line out here, -
3:06 - 3:10so everyone here will be group A,
-
3:10 - 3:11everyone out here will be group B.
-
3:12 - 3:17Now, for you folks, what I'm going to do
is I'm going to show you these two teas, -
3:17 - 3:20and I'll go ahead and ask you
to choose your tea. -
3:20 - 3:22So you can choose whichever tea you want.
-
3:22 - 3:24You can decide, what is your mental state:
-
3:25 - 3:26OK, I choose the caffeinated tea,
-
3:26 - 3:27I choose the chamomile tea.
-
3:27 - 3:30So you're going to be in charge,
you're going to be in control, -
3:30 - 3:33you're going to be in the driver's seat.
-
3:33 - 3:36You folks, I'm going to show you
these two teas, -
3:36 - 3:38but you don't have a choice.
-
3:38 - 3:40I'm going to give you
one of these two teas, -
3:40 - 3:43and keep in mind, I'm going
to pick one of these two teas -
3:43 - 3:44at random for you.
-
3:44 - 3:46And you know that.
-
3:46 - 3:49So if you think about it,
this is an extreme-case scenario, -
3:49 - 3:50because in the real world,
-
3:50 - 3:52whenever you are taking passenger's seat,
-
3:52 - 3:55very often the driver is going
to be someone you trust, -
3:55 - 3:56an expert, etc.
-
3:56 - 3:58So this is an extreme-case scenario.
-
3:59 - 4:04Now, you're all going to consume the tea.
-
4:04 - 4:06So imagine that you're taking the tea now,
-
4:06 - 4:08we'll wait for you to finish the tea.
-
4:08 - 4:12We'll give another five minutes
for the ingredient to have its effects. -
4:12 - 4:17Now you're going to have
30 minutes to solve 15 puzzles. -
4:17 - 4:20Here's an example of the puzzle
you're going to solve. -
4:21 - 4:23Anyone in the audience
want to take a stab? -
4:23 - 4:25Audience member: Pulpit!
Baba Shiv: Whoa! OK. -
4:25 - 4:26That's cool.
-
4:26 - 4:29Yeah, so what we'd do if we had
you who gave the answer -
4:29 - 4:30as a participant,
-
4:30 - 4:33we would have calibrated
the difficulty level -
4:33 - 4:35of the puzzles to your expertise.
-
4:35 - 4:37Because we want
these puzzles to be difficult. -
4:37 - 4:38These are tricky puzzles,
-
4:38 - 4:41because your first instinct
is to say "tulip." -
4:41 - 4:43And then you have to unstick yourself.
-
4:44 - 4:45Right?
-
4:45 - 4:48So these have been calibrated
to your level of expertise, -
4:48 - 4:50because we want this to be difficult,
-
4:50 - 4:52and I'll tell you why, momentarily.
-
4:52 - 4:54Now, here's another example.
-
4:55 - 4:56Anyone? This is much more difficult.
-
4:56 - 4:58Audience member: Embark.
BS: Yeah. Wow! OK. -
4:58 - 5:00So, yeah, so this is, again, difficult.
-
5:00 - 5:03You'll say "kamber," then you'll go,
"maker," and all that, -
5:03 - 5:05and then you can unstick yourself.
-
5:05 - 5:08So you have 30 minutes now
to solve these 15 puzzles. -
5:09 - 5:13Now, the question we're asking
here is, in terms of the outcome -- -
5:13 - 5:16and it comes in the number
of puzzles solved -- -
5:16 - 5:20will you in the driver's seat
end up solving more puzzles -
5:20 - 5:21because you are in control,
-
5:21 - 5:23you could decide which tea
you would choose, -
5:23 - 5:25or would you be better off,
-
5:25 - 5:27in terms of the number of puzzles solved?
-
5:27 - 5:30And, systemically, what we will show,
-
5:30 - 5:32across a series of studies,
-
5:32 - 5:34is that you, the passengers,
-
5:34 - 5:38even though the tea
was picked for you at random, -
5:38 - 5:41will end up solving
more puzzles than you, the drivers. -
5:42 - 5:44We also observe another thing,
-
5:45 - 5:47and that is, you folks not only
are solving fewer puzzles, -
5:47 - 5:51you're also putting less juice
into the task -- less effort, -
5:51 - 5:53you're less persistent, and so on.
-
5:53 - 5:54How do we know that?
-
5:54 - 5:56Well, we have two objective measures.
-
5:56 - 5:59One is, what is the time,
on average, you're taking -
5:59 - 6:02in attempting to solve these puzzles?
-
6:02 - 6:04You will spend less time compared to you.
-
6:05 - 6:07Second, you have
30 minutes to solve these; -
6:07 - 6:09are you taking the entire 30 minutes
-
6:09 - 6:11or are you giving up
before the 30 minutes elapse? -
6:11 - 6:14You will be more likely to give up
before the 30 minutes elapse, -
6:15 - 6:16compared to you.
-
6:16 - 6:18So you're putting in less juice,
-
6:18 - 6:20and therefore, the outcome:
fewer puzzles solved. -
6:22 - 6:26That brings us now to:
why does this happen? -
6:26 - 6:30And under what situations -- when --
would we see this pattern of results -
6:30 - 6:34where the passenger is going to show
better, more favorable outcomes, -
6:34 - 6:36compared to the driver?
-
6:37 - 6:41It all has to do with when you face
what I call the INCA. -
6:42 - 6:46It's an acronym that stands for the nature
of the feedback you're getting -
6:46 - 6:48after you made the decision.
-
6:48 - 6:51So if you think about it,
in this particular puzzle task -- -
6:51 - 6:53it could happen in investing
in the stock market, -
6:53 - 6:55very volatile out there,
-
6:55 - 6:56it could be the medical situation --
-
6:56 - 6:58the feedback here is immediate.
-
6:58 - 7:01You know the feedback,
whether you're solving the puzzles or not. -
7:01 - 7:04Right? Second, it is negative.
-
7:04 - 7:07Remember, the deck
was stacked against you, -
7:07 - 7:09in terms of the difficulty
level of these puzzles. -
7:09 - 7:11And this can happen in the medical domain.
-
7:11 - 7:14For example, very early on
in the treatment, -
7:14 - 7:17things are negative, the feedback,
before things become positive. -
7:17 - 7:19Right? It can happen in the stock market.
-
7:19 - 7:22Volatile stock market, getting negative
feedback, it is also immediate. -
7:22 - 7:26And the feedback in all these cases
is concrete, it's unambiguous; -
7:26 - 7:28you know if you've solved
the puzzles or not. -
7:28 - 7:30Now, the added one,
-
7:30 - 7:35apart from this immediacy,
negative, this concreteness -- -
7:35 - 7:38now you have a sense of agency.
-
7:39 - 7:41You were responsible for your decision.
-
7:42 - 7:43So what do you do?
-
7:43 - 7:46You focus on the foregone option.
-
7:46 - 7:48You say, you know what?
-
7:48 - 7:50I should have chosen the other tea.
-
7:50 - 7:53(Laughter)
-
7:53 - 7:56That casts your decision in doubt,
-
7:56 - 7:59reduces the confidence
you have in the decision, -
7:59 - 8:01the confidence you have
in the performance, -
8:01 - 8:03the performance in terms
of solving the puzzles. -
8:03 - 8:05And therefore less juice into the task,
-
8:05 - 8:07fewer puzzles solved
-
8:07 - 8:10and less favorable outcomes
compared to you folks. -
8:10 - 8:14And this can happen in the medical
domain, if you think about it, right? -
8:14 - 8:16A patient in the driver's
seat, for example. -
8:16 - 8:18Less juice, which means
keeping herself or himself -
8:18 - 8:22less physically fit, physically active
to hasten the recovery process, -
8:22 - 8:23which is what is often advocated.
-
8:23 - 8:25You probably wouldn't do that.
-
8:26 - 8:32And therefore, there are times
when you're facing the INCA, -
8:32 - 8:35when the feedback is going
to be immediate, negative, concrete -
8:36 - 8:37and you have the sense of agency,
-
8:37 - 8:41where you're far better off
taking the passenger's seat -
8:41 - 8:42and have someone else drive.
-
8:44 - 8:47Now, I started off on a somber note.
-
8:47 - 8:49I want to finish up on a more upbeat note.
-
8:49 - 8:52It has now been five years,
slightly more than five years, -
8:52 - 8:58and the good news, thank God,
is that the cancer is still in remission. -
8:59 - 9:00So it all ends well.
-
9:01 - 9:07But one thing I didn't mention
was that very early on into her treatment, -
9:07 - 9:11my wife and I decided
that we would take the passenger's seat. -
9:11 - 9:13And that made so much of a difference
-
9:13 - 9:16in terms of the peace of mind
that came with that; -
9:16 - 9:18we could focus on her recovery.
-
9:18 - 9:21We let the doctors make all the decisions
-
9:21 - 9:22and take the driver's seat.
-
9:23 - 9:24Thank you.
-
9:24 - 9:28(Applause)
- Title:
- Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat
- Speaker:
- Baba Shiv
- Description:
-
Over the years, research has shown a counterintuitive fact about human nature: That sometimes, having too much choice makes us less happy. This may even be true when it comes to medical treatment. Baba Shiv shares a fascinating study that measures why choice opens the door to doubt, and suggests that ceding control -- especially on life-or-death decisions -- may be the best thing for us.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 09:47
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat | ||
Bahar KARA GOCMEN edited English subtitles for Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat | ||
Thu-Huong Ha approved English subtitles for Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat | ||
Thu-Huong Ha accepted English subtitles for Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat | ||
Morton Bast added a translation |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 1/12/2016.