#91 Hanlon's razor

Author

Alex Joshi
October 27, 2024

Hi friends,

Earlier this week, I was on a flight from Dublin to London when two passengers who were work colleagues completely halted the boarding process as they (very unsuccessfully) attempted to switch rows to be able to sit together. They seemed unaware of the disruption they were causing or of a frustrated man who had mastered the art of passive-aggressive sighs to show his annoyance. It also seemed clear that the couple weren’t holding the plane up intentionally.

This scene got me thinking about Hanlon’s razor, a mental model that states, ‘Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by neglect.’

They’re out to get me

We often assume that when things go wrong, it's part of a larger conspiracy against us. I sensed that the man behind the couple on the flight felt they were intentionally slowing him down.

Applying Hanlon’s razor in our daily lives helps us build better relationships, become less judgmental, and improve our rational thinking. It encourages empathy and giving others the benefit of the doubt, which is especially valuable in personal and business relationships.

Life constantly throws challenges at us, and it’s easy to blame others and believe the world is conspiring against us. We often accuse companies, politicians, colleagues, and even loved ones of deliberately sabotaging our plans. However, assuming malicious intent usually makes matters worse. Often, mistakes or neglect—not malice—are at the root of problems. And none of us can ever know what someone else wants to happen.

Are my feelings justified?

Before reacting with anger or frustration, it’s important to ask ourselves if our emotions are justified. Instead of assuming bad intent, a constructive approach—educating and offering guidance—can often prevent repetition, creating more understanding and better outcomes for everyone.

Interactions with behavioural biases

Last week, I discussed two biases, which I bring back again to illustrate how we can exacerbate problems in our minds:

Availability heuristic (giving greater weight and assigning greater frequency to vivid and memorable events):

Imagine someone making a mistake and then making another one shortly after. Because we can easily recall the first mistake, we may draw a link and assume malicious intent, where there may be two simple and unrelated mistakes.

Confirmation bias (seeking out and paying more attention to information that confirms pre-existing beliefs):

If we expect malicious intent, we will subsequently look for information confirming our (negative) view.

These concepts can explain why vivid memories and preexisting biases can provoke strong emotional reactions, distorting our perceptions and decisions. You can imagine how any further ‘mistakes’ made by the colleagues during the flight would have a very dim view taken of them by the disgruntled man.

Implementation idea

The next time someone appears to slight you, ask yourself, was it intentional? How can I respond constructively?

— AJ

PS: The plane set off and landed on time.

On my bedside table:

📖 Non-fiction: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

I wrote about this book in #87, and whilst I urge caution and want to be clear that it is not a ‘fun’ or easy read, I recommend it highly. It’s one of the most important books I’ve ever read.

📰 Article: You can find me quoted in a couple of articles this week:

💬 Quote: “It’s true that becoming an empathic listener takes time, but it doesn’t take any-where near as much time as it takes to back up and correct misunderstandings when you’re already miles down the road, to redo, and to live with unexpressed and unsolved problems.” - Stephen Covey

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