What prevents us from earning a lot and how to fix it

You go to work every day and honestly fulfill your duties, but the salary does not grow, and there is no foreseeable advancement on the career ladder. Perhaps it's all about cognitive traps - errors of judgment that prevent us from perceiving reality adequately and drawing correct conclusions. Finding out exactly what distortions are interfering with your career and how to deal with them.

1. Underestimating inaction

In the early 90s of the XX century, scientists conducted an interesting experiment. The subjects had to imagine that they are doctors who decide the fate of the patient. They had a choice: to prescribe treatment, which in 15% of cases is fatal, or not to prescribe anything, but to know that such a tactic will lead to the death of a person with a 20% probability.

It would seem that there is nothing to think about - you need to choose a treatment. Then the patient will have a chance to survive, and not so small. But 13% of the participants in the experiment reasoned differently and chose inaction: it seemed to them that this way their responsibility for the death of a person would be less. And the higher the likelihood that the imaginary patient would die as a result of the treatment, the more "doctors" decided not to do anything.

This cognitive trap has been called the underestimation of inaction. Because of it, we are afraid to take responsibility and make decisions, preferring to do nothing and rely on chance.

It seems to us that sitting and inactive is safer than taking risks and trying to change something.

The anti-vaccine movement is considered a classic example of this behavior. Parents are afraid of the side effects of vaccinations and prefer not to vaccinate their children at all.

However, underestimating inaction is not only about health. It can also manifest itself at work. For example, when we do not dare to take on a difficult project or offer some new and non-standard idea and instead continue to remain silent in a corner, without leaving our comfort zone. This means we are depriving ourselves of career growth and money.

There is another similar distortion - a deviation towards the status quo, in which it seems to us that the current state of affairs is always better and more reliable than possible changes.

How to avoid the trap

Analyze what you are losing and what you are gaining while doing nothing. Yes, inaction can save time, nerves and energy: you don't have to solve new problems, learn, make mistakes and risk that your ideas and suggestions will not be approved, and you yourself will be considered an upstart. But if you don’t take the initiative, take on something new, or change jobs, you won’t grow as a professional and start earning more.

2. Pollyanna's principle

In 1913, the American writer Eleanor Porter published the book Pollyanna, which later became a classic of children's literature. The main heroine of the story, eleven-year-old Pollyanna Whittier, is an unsinkable optimist who knows how to find something good in any, even the most disgusting situation.

The girl remains an orphan and comes to live with a strict and sometimes even cruel aunt, but does not despair and takes all the notations almost with delight. "If you try, you can find something joyful or good in almost everything!" - says the heroine.

Thanks to her amazing personality, Pollyanna has become an iconic children's character. English even has an adjective pollyannaish, which is used to describe an incredibly optimistic person. In the USA, at one time, the so-called "glad clubs" were opened, which united fans of the story of an incredibly kind and bright girl.

But Pollyanna's optimism isn't all that charming to everyone. In 1978, researchers Margaret Matling and David Strang named this heroine a cognitive trap - the Pollyanna principle. Because of it, people agree only with positive messages addressed to them, and they hardly notice negative messages or prefer to treat them with a plus sign anyway.

For example, a boss gives feedback to an employee, but he suffers from "Pollyanism" and from all that has been said, he only perceives praise.

And criticism literally turns a deaf ear or interprets in the spirit of "I'm still a fine fellow, but this is so, little things, you can not pay attention." The one who does not listen to criticism and does not take into account his mistakes, deprives himself of space for development and does not grow as a specialist. This means that he earns less than he could. In addition, no boss will like that half of his words are deafened.

How to avoid the trap

Optimism is a wonderful and relatively rare quality for an adult. Life is much easier and more joyful for optimists than for severe pessimists. Therefore, it is certainly not worth giving up your positive outlook on the world.

But it's best to turn it off for a while when you're talking to bosses, teachers, coaches, and anyone else who is evaluating your skills and giving feedback. Listen carefully, memorize, after the conversation, write down the main theses in order to calmly analyze them and determine the moments on which you need to work.

3. The effect of context

In 2010, the Journal of Consumer Research published the results of an interesting experiment. A group of nearly 200 subjects were asked to rate different products from the supermarket. At the same time, the room in which the survey took place was divided into several sections: in some there was an ordinary laminate on the floor, in others - a soft carpet. Participants rated products better if they had carpet under their feet, rather than laminate flooring, because this was more comfortable for them.

This feature of perception is called context effect. And marketers use it with might and main.

They try to create the most comfortable conditions in stores so that we value the goods higher and spend more money more willingly. Because of the effect of context, we pay more attention to minor details than to basic parameters.

For example, when choosing a job, we may be tempted by a nice office and free coffee, rather than focusing on salary or career prospects. Or, conversely, we refuse a good place, because the room is not too cozy or the potential boss does not look presentable enough. Not the best approach for those who want to earn more and make a career as quickly as possible.

How to avoid the trap

If you have an important decision to make, try to abstract from details and external attributes. Determine which parameters are most important to you, and focus only on them. You can make a list in advance. For example, a list of criteria for a good job: salary, growth prospects, benefits. Or, if you're walking into a store and don't want to spend too much, a shopping list. This way you have a better chance of focusing on the essentials and not paying attention to the little things.