Behavioral Bias Bingo – The Illusion of Control

Behavioral Bias Bingo - The Illusion of Control by David Foulke, Alpha Architect

The Illusion of Control

In most elevators, at least in any built or installed since the early nineties, the door-close button doesn’t work. It is there mainly to make you think it works. (It does work if, say, a fireman needs to take control. But you need a key, and a fire, to do that.) Once you know this, it can be illuminating to watch people compulsively press the door-close button. That the door eventually closes reinforces their belief in the button’s power. "

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---Nick Paumgarten, the New Yorker

The "Illusion of Control" is a well-researched behavioral bias that describes the...