The Human Mind
Businesses are built by people for people.
Understanding how we take in information,
how we make decisions, and how we decide
what to do or what not to do is critically important
if you want to create and sustain a successful business venture.
Cognitive Scope Limitation
“One death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic.” — Kurt Tucholsky, German satirist
Key Ideas:
- The Cognitive Scope Limitation is the way we simplify the reality when it becomes too overwhelming for the mind. This is what happens when you walk on Times Square: you can’t possibly feel emotionally connected to so many strangers.
- It’s not possible to expand the scope of information in our minds, we just can’t handle so much reality.
- Personalizing an issue is the best way to overcome this limitation. It helps to personalize decisions by imagining they affect someone close to us.
Questions for Consideration:
- How can you personalize the results of actions or decisions that affect people outside of your immediate circle of peers?
- How can you remember to use the ‘newspaper rule’ and ‘grandchild rule’ before making major decisions that affect others?