
Why We Make Bad Decisions - wallflower
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/opinion/sunday/why-we-make-bad-decisions.html?hp
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Theodores
Why can't newspapers cite sources?

[http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna...](http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004957)

There is the study she mentioned where people 'offload' their thinking to an
expert.

Personally I don't think that her inferences from the study are meaningful. If
you wander into a doctor surgery, have some tests and then some serious mega
expert has to get involved then that is very different to the situation where
you are openly seeking advice with your finances from an expert.

The financial expert is likely to profit from advice given whereas (in the UK)
the medical expert actually wants you to get well. Furthermore if the expert
is thrust upon you due to circumstance that is very different to seeking out
an expert. The value of an expert opinion also differs depending upon how
deferential one is. Doctors are as good as it gets for 'pillars of society'
whereas financial experts are down there with used car salesmen. Conclusions
drawn from those seeking financial expertise don't relate to the wider field
of what goes on with 'experts'.

I have read books by Noreena Hertz in the past, expecting Naomi Klein 'No
Logo' grade stuff yet I never felt her work quite hit the mark. In my opinion
she was to the anti-globalisation discussion what Cliff Richard was to rock
'n' roll - not really the real deal. Again, this article disappoints.

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rytis
_whereas (in the UK) the medical expert actually wants you to get well._

Yes, sort of. For example, sometimes when a tooth can be repaired via root
canal treatment dentists simply advise to remove it. It seems that NHS pays
them roughly the same for both procedures, so they don't want to spend extra
time working on it (quick find here, surely there might be better references
available [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1385407/Are-NHS-
de...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1385407/Are-NHS-dentists-
yanking-teeth-just-save-cash.html)). The point I'm trying to make is that even
in the UK one should not trust doctors 100%.

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bo1024
I don't think the article makes a good case. The argument seems to be that we
shouldn't trust experts and should do our own independent decision-making and
research.

I guess it's hard to say that this is _wrong_ , but experts are experts for a
reason: It requires a lot of time and knowledge. So on average you should not
expect to make a better decision than an expert in the field. Of course, when
it comes to your health it may still be worth it to invest the time to
understand as best you can and check the experts as much as possible.

But anyway, it makes perfect sense and is (I think) a _good_ thing that
people's brains offload thinking when consulting an expert. This does make you
more likely to be fooled by someone who isn't really an expert (which is why
we rely on reputation mechanisms and other signals to identify experts), but
it means you can save your brain cycles for the things that _you_ are an
expert in. Comparative advantage.

~~~
aedocw
David H. Feedman wrote an excellent book* on this very topic. "Wrong: Why
experts keep failing us--and how to know when not to trust them"

He goes very deep into the research around confirmation bias and cultural
beliefs that cause doctors to be very confident and believe they are
absolutely right when they are at best 50/50\. Obviously not all
experts/doctors are rightly only 50% of the time, but I found the book to be
extremely informative. ALWAYS question experts - the worst thing you can do is
shut your brain down.

[1][http://www.amazon.com/Wrong-us---relationship-consultants-
eb...](http://www.amazon.com/Wrong-us---relationship-consultants-
ebook/dp/B0035IIDCG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1382303915&sr=8-4&keywords=wrong)

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drchiu
Agree with the point that to defer to expert opinion may not always be the
best choice. But in the case of one's health, sometimes it's not simply by
"doing one's own research" that will solve one's problem.

