The Groundless Use of Linearity in Daily Thinking and Decision-making

Abstract

The overuse or groundless use of linearity, that is the fallacy of omnipotent linearity, intertwines our everyday lives and decisions. The misconception of linearity is not an isolated phenomenon, yet we do not handle this question in the proper way. The examples of MPG (Miles per Gallon) and MPH (Miles per Hour) or driving speed have something else in common: there is a widely used indicator conveying a false impression about the nature and physical, economical effects of the described phenomena by creating the illusion of linearity, leading to faulty decisions. In this paper, I show the common cases where we often make linear mistakes, and for which I can give illustrations drawn from scientific publications or everyday examples. Fresh survey research has been done in order to reveal the presence of linearity in the daily decision-making in terms of its groundless use. The article also identifies some common roots to the problem; it also outlines the psychological mechanisms and possible policies to help avoid them.