April 24, 2024

What Can We Add? What Can We Take Away?

As parents, we often feel that if we add more to a problem—say, buy the right item—we can solve it. But there may be a simpler way to solve certain problems, and that's by taking something away. Here's how to know when taking something away might be the better answer.

The human tendency to solve problems by adding something is called "additive solution bias." However, sometimes a problem is more quickly and effectively solved by taking something away.

In this episode we talk about how "additive solution bias" can play out in our parenting strategies, and how we can become more aware of the times when what we actually need to do is take something away.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

  • Why our brains are wired to solve problems by adding things
  • How additive solution bias increases along with the size of the problem we're attempting to solve
  • Why removing something, or doing less, isn't automatically easier


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Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:


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