"An irrational belief in irrational ideas usually leads to irrational results" - Futurist Jim Carroll

So let's try and figure out what's going on.

I took today's quote, fed it to ChatGPT, and got the picture above which I used for today;'s 'inspiration' image.

Look, in the last little while, I've looked into the Science of Stupidity,  the Science of Mistakes, and The Science of Regret. So why not the Science of Irrational Decisions, which I learned is often referred to as "cognitive distortions." There's a lot to be found online to explain where we are.  Charts and stuff that explain the many different types of irrational decisions aka cognitive distortions.

There's even a course or two to take on it.

It's a fascinating topic, and as expected, there's a lot of research to be found. It's a wonderful rabbit hole to plunge into because you will find such papers as 
Overcoming Cognitive Distortions; How to Recognize and Challenge the Thinking Traps that Make You Miserable.

That tracks. People seem to be pretty miserable right now because of the cognitive distortions they've gone through that got us to where we are today.
And, as might expected, there is to be a leadership / personal growth book about it, with the title Predictably IrrationalL: The Hidden Forces that Shape our Decisions, released back in 2008. It probably could use an update!

So let's dig in, shall we? Let's talk about why folks make poor choices about big economic and political issues that end up hurting everyone. 

Here's what the science tells us. When people vote against their economic interests or support harmful policies, it's rarely because they're stupid. Their brains just don't always work in their best interest when dealing with complex global systems. Why is that? Our brains take shortcuts. We use mental rules of thumb that help us make quick decisions. This works fine for everyday choices but fails miserably when considering trade policy, inflation control, voting, or healthcare systems.

What happens to people in this circumstance? They get emotional about political and economic issues. Fear, anger, and tribalism cloud their judgment. When someone supports tariffs that will ultimately hurt local businesses because they sound "tough on foreign competition" - that's emotional reasoning drowning out economic reality. It's cognitive dissonance, plain and simple.

The kicker is that the condition leads to great uncertainty, which fuels itself creating more uncertainty in a vicious spiral.

It's complex, folks, and there is no easy way out.

Buckle up.

Read the rest of the post.

**#Irrationality** **#Cognition** **#Distortion** **#Economics** **#Politics** **#Decisions** **#Tribalism** **#Uncertainty** **#Bias** **#Denialism**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/03/daily-inspiration-cognitive-distortions-an-irrational-belief-in-irrational-ideas-usually-leads-to-irrational-results/

𝔼𝕣𝕚𝕔 𝕀𝕕𝕝𝕖, #𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕪ℙ𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕟
𝔽𝕌ℂ𝕂 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤 (𝕆𝕗𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕃𝕪𝕣𝕚𝕔 𝕍𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠)

A la mierda la Navidad, es una puta pérdida de tiempo.
Que le jodan a Santa, sólo quiere tu dinero.
Que se joda el acebo, la hiedra y el muérdago.
Bastardos gordos de barba blanca tocando campanas donde quiera que vayas.
Y los hombres hinchados en los centros comerciales todos haciendo ho-ho-ho.
Es la puta Navidad otra vez.

A la mierda la Navidad, es un maldito show de Disney.
Que se jodan los renos y toda esa puta nieve.
A la mierda los villancicos y a la mierda Rudolph y su estúpida nariz de mierda.
Putas campanas de trineo tintineando donde quiera que vayas.
A la mierda los calcetines y a la mierda las compras, nos vuelven locos a todos.
Dile a los elfos que se jodan.
Es Navidad otra vez.

Bastardos sentimentales...
_____________

Fuck Christmas, it's a waste of fucking time
Fuck Santa, he's just out to get your dime
Fuck holly and fuck ivy and fuck all that mistletoe
White-bearded big fat bastards ringing bells where'er you go
And bloated men in shopping malls all going ho-ho-ho
It's fucking Christmas time again

Fuck Christmas, it's a fucking Disney show
Fuck reindeer and all that fucking snow
Fuck carols and fuck Rudolph and his stupid fucking nose
Fucking sleigh bells tinkling everywhere you fucking go
Fuck stockings and fuck shopping, it just drives us all insane
Go tell the elves to fuck themselves
It's Christmas time again

You sentimental bastards...
_____________

#Ateísmo #Ciencia #Escepticismo #Cultura
#Religión #Irracionalidad #Hipocresía #Sectas

#Navidad #Consumismo

#Atheism #Science #Skepticism #Culture
#Religion #Irrationality #Hypocrisy #Cults