[Note: It will probably take you about 3 minutes to read this post. And when you’re finished, you’ll feel happier.]
I’ve written several posts about control and how we delude ourselves into thinking that we have control over the universe. Most recently, I speculated that, perhaps, happiness depends on us relinquishing the illusion of control. Previously, I had argued on behalf of reframing our illusion of control to make it less harmful to innovation efforts.
A very wise person commented on my most recent post and argued that the illusion of control may be necessary for our mental health. This person got me thinking. I agree that some illusions are necessary. If we all viewed the world through a purely rational lens, we would probably go nuts. We would realize that we are going to die and will have nearly zero impact on the world. We would no longer believe that our children were any more special or any more deserving of our love and protection that anyone else’s kids. We might just go into a total depression. Not a pretty sight.
I recently read an article that adds a bit of nuance to how I think about our need for illusions. The New York subway system is taking a page from the Disney World manual and is getting just a bit smarter about how to manage customer sentiment during long wait times. They are installing information screens telling people how long the wait for a train is. Apparently, when people know how long they have to wait, they don’t get as pissed off.
That’s a curious phenomenon. I could understand people feeling more satisfied if they could use the information about wait time in some productive way. But people don’t really change their behavior when they know that the subway will take 7 minutes vs. the 3 they normally expect. It’s not like you can go and enjoy a cup of coffee or make a phone call… So why do people feel better knowing how long something will take?
I believe (and the subway article mentions this as well) that the knowledge provides a sense of control. Perhaps because in theory you could do something with that knowledge. Or maybe just because in so many other situations in life, knowledge opens up options for you.
Whatever the explanation, knowledge that helps us better understand our immediate circumstances and what to expect – even when it doesn’t help us in any meaningful way – makes us feel better.
So why the hell am I telling you this?
Well, because armed with this information you can be a more effective person.
For example, if you’re a parent, explain things to your kids. I went through a divorce recently and I made it a practice to explain to my children as much as I could about what was going to happen. I felt that they probably had many fears about the future, many of which were simply untrue. Without information, we often fill the void with the most negative speculations we can muster. Usually the truth is better. And even if it won’t be, knowing what’s coming can help us shift from a state of paralyzing fear to a mode where we can start planning to cope and even thrive in the new situation.
[Note: The next paragraph is the last one of this post.]
If you’re a manager, think about how you can improve the experience of your employees. The workplace of today is scary. Layoffs, outsourcing, offshoring… or even just the impact of the latest corporate initiative. Workers become somewhat paralyzed when they think something might affect them. And you’ve got to know that whether there is some impending trouble or not, your employees are speculating. You can stop the speculation and turn their mental energies to more productive efforts by developing a trusted relationship with them based on sharing knowledge.
OK, post over.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I am tracking with you on all of this, with one small exception. The calm that comes from knowledge is that you know, not that you can do something with it. Now you know, so with knowing, you can stop obsessing about what you don’t know or what may be. You know what is. The power of knowledge lies in what you may chose to do with it, but the sense of control, the calm, the quiet, that simply comes from knowing.
I agree. But I’m trying to uncover why we feel calm when we know. And I think it might be one of those fascinating glitches in our brain. In many cases, knowing should rationally produce a sense of calm because now you can do something about the situation. But it seems that even when we can’t, we still feel that calm.