We’ve all heard the phrase, “Go with your gut!” But our guts can steer us wrong. We have biases. We have deeply engrained habits and self-indulgences. Sometimes we have to protect ourselves from our own brains. Here are just a few examples:
- “Although 92% of marketers believe most or all of the content they create resonates as authentic with consumers, 51% of consumers say less than half of brands create content that resonates as authentic.” —Forbes (source)
- “53% of businesses believe their customers are very satisfied with their self-service offerings, but only 15% of consumers agree.” —Merkle (source)
- “CX and digital marketing professionals want more investment in customer feedback programs (52%) and product feedback programs (47%), and 49% cite the website as the preferred communication channel. However, 53% of consumers select the phone as their preferred means of providing feedback.” —Survey Monkey (source)
Why do we rely on gut instinct instead of hard data? Because it’s easier. It takes time and energy (and resources) to survey customers, gather first, second, and third-party data, and conduct focus groups. It takes patience to do A/B tests, refine and learn from them, and then do them again…and again…and again. Then we have to—groan—analyze that data. We want action now!
Recently, Inc. ran an article on a neuroscience hack that can help us protect ourselves from our own brains. It’s on the practice of self-distancing. It involves stepping back and essentially playing the role of an attorney in a legal drama.
When self-distancing, we put our decision on trial: “Picture yourself in a courtroom drama, where you play both sides—prosecutor and defense attorney. You present your case from both sides to clarify a more rational course of action. Maybe you can step into the role of an objective jury member: observing and weighing in the pros and cons of each argument you’re presenting to yourself. Now that you’ve stepped back, reassessed, and eliminated your bias and negativity, and maybe even reimagined the possibilities, what decision will you take?”
The research comes from the journal Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, and its benefits go beyond making better decisions in business. They include:
- Lower levels of stress
- More emotional resilience
- Ability to think more broadly and creatively
- Help breaking out of unhealthy “stuckness”
Imagine all the different place we could use a little more emotional resilience and unstuckness! Can you think of a decision you made based on gut instinct and later realized you’d been acting on incorrect or incomplete information? What might have happened if you’d practiced self-distancing first?
