Suppose some day you went to restaurant and waiter ask about what to order ? maybe gives some recommendations to order. as of giving recommendation, it will set to default option. we more likely choose the food from that default option only. maybe the reason behind this is "it make us feel safe by ordering that particular food", because of this we tempted from what we wanted to order instead of what we ordering. This happens because of our default behaviours. big question what are this default behaviours?
So the answer to this is when we make choices instantly without thinking about it, this behaviours we called default human behaviours.
Lets discuss about them one by one
Emotional defaults
We all know that - humans are emotional beings, we respond to feelings rather than facts. This is because emotions are faster and more instinctive than logical reasoning.
For example, imagine you’re watching youtube and suddenly you get a commercial ad for a charity. Instead of showing statistics about poverty rates, they show you a heart-wrenching story related to charity. That emotional connection is what drives people to donate money, not the numbers.
This way they are simply knowing the facts that, people have emotional default as a core hardware of human being.
Heres how we can know.
Recognizing when we’re operating from our emotion default requires self-awareness and the ability to pause and reflect on our reactions.
Notice Intense Emotional Reactions
If you feel defensive during a disagreement, ask yourself if your reaction is based on the facts of the situation or your emotional interpretation of it.
Notice Impulsive Decisions
If you finding yourself making quick choices without considering the consequences, it’s a sign that you are might in control of emotional default.
This two things could help in knowing whether we are not in emotional default.
Ego default.
This is our tendency of our brain to quickly react defensively when something threatens our self-worth or status in a group. this why criticism can feel like a personal attack. not just that we sometimes resist admitting we are wrong, regardless even when evidence proves we we are wrong.
for example, Sometimes we might refuse to ask for help in a subject we struggling with because we don’t want to appear "weak" or less intelligent in front of our peers.
Heres how we can know.
Difficulty Admitting Mistakes
Refusing to acknowledge when we are wrong or deflecting blame onto others is a hallmark of the ego default. This behavior stems from the fear of appearing weak or incompetent.
Overemphasis on Being Right
Prioritising being right over understanding perspectives of other is the sign of ego dominance.
Inertial default
You know what change can be uncomfortable and even scary, so we often stick with what’s familiar, even if it’s not the best option for us.
Think about how hard it is to break a bad habit or switch to a new routine at work. Even when we know change could lead to better outcomes, we resist because staying in our comfort zone feels safer and easier.
heres how you can know about this default.
Preference for Familiarity
We tend to choose options that are familiar or comfortable, even if they’re not the most effective or beneficial.
Repeating Past Choices Without Reevaluation
We continue making the same decisions without considering whether they’re still effective or relevant.
Social default
in simple terms, social defaults refer to automatic behaviours adopted by individuals based on observed group norms, even when alternatives exist.
for example ; We choose a college major (eg "computer science") because it’s popular among their friends or family, rather than following our true passion or genuine interest. This happens because of social default.
Heres how we can know
Following Trends Without Question
If we find yourself adopting popular trends (studying Full stack or back-end) without evaluating whether we are truly interested, it may be due to the influence of social norms rather than personal choice.
Feeling Pressure to Fit In
If you notice yourself making decisions or acting in ways that align with the group, say people are choosing listed topic from provided PDF in professional skills(PS) class , even we don't like any of the topic, but we still choose the topic from the listed PDF topics only to make us feel fit; this is a sign of the social default.
So becoming aware of the defaults is key to make a better choices over the unwanted choices.