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Status Quo Bias

Edited by Vladimir_Nesov, et al. last updated 4th Feb 2010

The status quo bias is a cognitive bias for the status quo; in other words, people tend to avoid changing the established behavior or beliefs unless the pressure to change is sufficiently strong.

The reversal test is a technique for recognizing fallacious counterarguments against change. If the counterargument states that the change of some parameter in one direction is undesirable, the reversal test is to check whether either the change of that parameter in the opposite direction (away from status quo) is desirable, or that there are strong reasons to expect that the current value of the parameter is (at least locally) the optimal one.

See also

  • Reversal test
  • Least convenient possible world
  • Cached thought
  • Sunk cost fallacy
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Posts tagged Status Quo Bias
294Politics is way too meta
Rob Bensinger
4y
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54Safe Stasis Fallacy
Davidmanheim
2y
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29Which cognitive biases should we trust in?
Andy_McKenzie
13y
42
27Seeing Status Quo Bias
Liron
5y
4
11[Link] Nick Bostrom on the Status Quo Bias
Jayson_Virissimo
13y
0
6how to truly feel my beliefs?
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KvmanThinking
10mo
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-2An argument for asexuality
filthy_hedonist
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