Availability Heuristic in Everyday Decisions

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut people use when making decisions. A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework. It helps people work through choices without weighing every detail.

This shortcut is more likely to show up when there is too much information, when time is limite...

In response to a question, like “Which job is more damaging to one’s health: being a gas plant operator or dentist?”, someone may intuitively generate thoughts that lead to a seemingly automatic and quick judgment.

After all, in the latest news, they’ve observed related events, vividly repeated over and over again...