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The Lazy Principle

 

Explanations > Perception > The Lazy Principle

Description | Example | Discussion | So what?

 

Description

When perceiving and understanding of the world around us, we are often 'lazy', taking the easiest route rather than thinking carefully about everything we sense.

In visual perception, this means:

  • We follow straight lines before curves.
  • We follow curves before zigzags.
  • We like continuous rather than broken lines.
  • We easily see basic shapes, such as triangles, rectangles and circles.
  • We recognize familiar patterns and ignore complex ones.

In audio perception:

  • We like simple melodies.
  • We ignore (and literally do not 'hear') background noise.
  • We like clear and unambiguous speech.

And generally:

  • We focus on small items and let our brains fill in the rest.
  • We prefer the familiar over the strange.
  • We 'recognize' 'good enough' pattern matches.
  • We ignore things that do not make easy sense.
  • We jump to conclusions on scant evidence.

Example

A stage magician uses a method called 'forcing' to get an audience member to 'choose' a particular card from the pack.

A business manager finds a simple strategy preferable to a more complex, but more complete alternative.

Confidence tricksters often offer what seems to be easy money. Their marks, blinded by greed, lap up the simple explanations and fail to question more deeply.

Discussion

Thinking is mentally tiring as our brains use up a lot of oxygen. It is also time-consuming, and when we must live in real-time, we do not have the capacity to think carefully about everything we do. So we use all kinds of short cuts along the way, from guessing what things are to ignoring all but the main point of interest.

The lazy principle is seldom deliberate. It is an unconscious activity that helps us cope with the massive data load we face every second. By taking the path of least resistance, of accepting the obvious as true, we give time to think about those few items that seem to need our attention.

While this principle is helpful most of the time it also has disadvantages. When we see someone we think we know, it may just be a person who looks like our friend, which can easily lead to embarrassment. More dangerously we can mistake deadly toadstools for tasty mushrooms.

Thus principle is also used by stage magicians who use distraction and disguise to fool our senses. When things are not clear, when our attention is grabbed, we ignore all but that which is of most interest. Photographers use it too as the guide our eyes with lines and bright objects and turn us away from things which are dull and out of focus. Photographs of wide open beaches and fields relax the eye and seem like 'nice pictures'.

The lazy principle is both the enemy and friend of advertisers and others who would change minds. When you want people to think and carefully consider things, then laziness must be overcome, jolting the person into thought. Much of the time, however, it can be used to slip things past the conscious, critical mind, getting people to accept things they might not if they thought more about them.

The Lazy Principle is counterbalanced by the Thinking Principle, where our need for arousal is satisfied as we seek interesting experiences and things to think about. In consequence, while we are lazy about many things, we are sufficiently activated to ensure survival of the species.

So what?

Give people an easy option. Make it more obvious by contrasting it with more difficult alternatives. Do give them choices, but keep these to a few (often two or three) and where the choice you want them to take requires the least mental effort.

When creating images, keep things simple. Avoid tiring the eye and the brain. Remove unnecessary items. Make the meaning obvious.

See also

Elaboration Likelihood Model

 

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Site Menu

| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

 

 

Please help and share:

 

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

+ Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

About
Guest Articles
Blog!
Books
Changes
Contact
Guestbook
Quotes
Students
Webmasters

 

| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links |

© Changing Works 2002-
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