Availability heuristic

The availability heuristic is a way of thinking about things that happens automatically in our brains. It helps us make decisions quickly and easily, but sometimes it can lead to bad decisions.

Essentially, when we think about something, our brains automatically go to the first example or idea that pops into our mind. We might think of the easiest example that we can think of, or the most recent example. We call this the availability heuristic.

For example, if you were trying to decide which movie to watch, you might think about the ones that you heard about most recently, or the ones that are easiest to find in the store. You're using the availability heuristic to make your decision quickly!

The downside of using the availability heuristic is that it can lead to bad decisions. Since it's focused on the first, easiest or most recent ideas, it doesn't take into account other things that you might be missing. You could end up making decisions without considering all of the options, or ignoring important information.

So, remember to use the availability heuristic as a quick way to make decisions, but double check your choices and make sure you've looked at all of the options before making any final decisions.