Construal level theory

Construal level theory is like putting on different glasses that make things look different depending on how far away they are.

Imagine you are sitting in your living room and you see your toy car on the coffee table in front of you. This is a very close-up view of the car, and you can see all the little details like the wheels and the paint job.

Now imagine you go outside and look at your house from the street. This is a much further away view, and you can only see the big parts of the house, like the roof and the windows.

Construal level theory says that when we think about things, we can look at them in different ways depending on how close or far away they are from us. When we think about things that are very close or happening right now, we focus on the details and specifics. But when we think about things that are further away or in the future, we focus on the big picture and the overall idea.

For example, if you are planning a birthday party, you might focus on the details like what cake flavor to get and what decorations to put up. But if you are thinking about your future career, you might focus on the big picture idea of what job you want and what kind of lifestyle you want to have.

So, construal level theory helps us understand that our thoughts and decisions can be influenced by how we are looking at things - whether it's up close or far away.