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risk
You over-allocate resources to eliminate a minor, symbolic risk.
The zero-risk bias leads people to prefer the complete elimination of a small risk over a greater total reduction in risk elsewhere.
Research indicates that when presented with safety trade-offs, individuals choose options that reduce a negligible threat to zero. They ignore larger, more significant threats that remain partially unaddressed. You value the psychological comfort of 'zero' more than statistical safety.
Peace of mind often comes at the cost of actual security.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Baron, 1994, Thinking and Deciding
- What the check found
- The claim is a standard definition from Jonathan Baron's 'Thinking and Deciding'. While the provided reference material does not contain this, the claim is a well-established finding in decision psychology.
- 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.