Commitment Bias - Why Do We Remain Committed To Our Past Behaviours?
How many times have you supported an idea on which you have spent a lot of hours but know that it yields no good in the future?
How many times have you defended an action plan and refused to make any modifications to it despite knowing that the plan is not taking you to the place where you first projected you to be.
These are typical examples of commitment bias. Commitment bias, simply put, is our tendency to remain committed to our past activities even if they have no positive outcomes.
The effects of commitment bias
The belief that our future actions must be coherent with what we have said and done in the past severely limits our ability to make sound judgments. This is especially true when our initial choice resulted in bad results. Furthermore, when our past activities do not fit with our current ideals, it might be troublesome.
Refusing to adjust one's viewpoint can have negative consequences as well as act as a barrier to personal growth. it is always better to acknowledge the mistakes we committed in our past and use them better ourselves rather than sticking to the same action plan that we crafter years before that has not yielded any good.
What causes commitment bias?
- Self-justification
Although the most reasonable action is face the consequences when our action plan results in negative outcomes, we often do not do so. Rather, we try to justify ourselves and change our behaviour based on the outcome. We are comfortable justifying our past behaviour to us and the ones around us. Ultimately, we justify ourselves due to the need for consistency and sticking to the initial plan we drafter.
- Rationalizing thoughts
Added to justifying our behaviours to ourselves, we also make sure that others see our behaviours as rational. We take a step further and talk to our peers about how the decision we took was not bad. We save ourselves by saying that our action plan will be beneficial in the long term despite it leading to unfavourable outcomes in the present.
The importance of commitment bias
In a lot of situations, commitment bias leads to poor decisions. By being aware of this bias, we can find ways to avoid it. Dismantling this prejudice to always stay consistent despite knowing the results are unfavourable, is a good place to start for personal development since it helps us to admit when we've made a mistake and learn from our mistakes.
Avoiding commitment bias
To tackle commitment bias, we have to go against our natural drive towards consistency. This would also make us worry about others thinking that we have made bad decisions in the past.
The first step to avoiding commitment bias is recognizing that consistency isn’t the be-all and end-all. If you discover that certain old actions no longer correspond with your goals or values, there's no reason to stick with them. We are allowed to develop and change; in fact, we are encouraged to do so. Making decisions based entirely on a need for stability or a fear of change is foolish. Conscious awareness of this can help us prevent such conduct in the future.
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