A few things to think about in an election

From how future possibilities can make you feel about the present to tips for escaping the noise.

Instead of sharing something new, I’m dipping into the archives and resurfacing some ideas that are especially relevant as Election Day nears.

Your default preferences

Something called status quo bias could influence decisions at the polls.

Here’s how it works: “When you’re given options to choose from, you may be more prone to pick the thing you’re already doing if it’s seen as the default.”

Read the full post: Why defaults matter

How future possibilities make you feel about the present

A study found that when you know a better future is coming, you may feel worse about the present. It’s called the next effect and you can see how it could apply to an election if you think of your candidate of choice as an “upgrade.”

Read the full post: Do you like your phone less now?

What you can do to escape the chaos…

Over the coming days and weeks, your attention will be pulled from one update to the next on the state of the election. It will be noisy. Consider deep listening as a way to escape for a bit.

Read the full post: Escape the chaos with deep listening

…and avoid distraction

During an election, it can feel close to impossible to focus on work, family, exercise, and other non-election parts of your life. It may help to become mindful about when you want to find out what’s happening in the election and when you want to focus on other things.

Read the full post: Distraction is easy. Let's make mindfulness even easier.

Thanks for reading.

Eric