Watch for
Procrastinating on checking important information because it might be bad.
Outcome & SelfBias #31
Ostrich Effect
We avoid information that might be unpleasant.
The tendency to avoid or delay confronting negative information, especially financial or health-related, in the hope that ignoring it will make it less threatening.
Why it matters: Coined by Galai & Sade (2006) in finance. Explains why people avoid checking bank balances, medical results, and report cards.
Try this
Schedule regular, brief check-ins so bad news is never a surprise.
Real-world example
Not checking your investment portfolio during a market downturn.
Key researchers
Dan Galai, Orly Sade
First described in 2006
Psychological mechanism
Hedonic Emotion Regulation. When faced with impending bad news, the brain undergoes a conflict between long-term utility (knowing the truth to fix a problem) and short-term emotional comfort. The ostrich effect is the victory of short-term mood stabilization over reality.
Seminal research
Coined by Dan Galai and Orly Sade (2006) in finance; extensively detailed by Niklas Karlsson, George Loewenstein, and Duane Seppi (2009) in the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty.
Related Biases
Debrief
Biases are not character flaws. They are recurring patterns in how minds compress uncertainty, save energy, and narrate reality. Once you recognise the pattern, you can slow the decision down, test the assumption, and make space for a better explanation.
Sources
Original ResearchGalai & Sade (2006) — The Ostrich Effect
Original ResearchKarlsson, Loewenstein & Seppi (2009) — Information avoidance
EncyclopediaWikipedia overview