Oddly Wired
← all facts
problem solving

If you have a hammer, everything is a nail.

People tend to apply the same familiar solution to every problem regardless of context.

When we specialize in a specific method or skill, we become blind to alternative approaches that might be more efficient. We force the problem to fit our tools instead of choosing the right tool for the problem.

Your greatest strength is often the primary cause of your narrow perspective.

Where this comes from

Study
Maslow (1966)
What the check found
This is a widely recognized psychological heuristic accurately attributed to Maslow in 'The Psychology of Science' (1966).
Confidence
Solid, with limits

Related

One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.