What Can We Add? What Can We Take Away?

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

The human tendency to solve problems by adding something is called "additive solution bias." However, sometimes a problem is more quickly and effectively solved by taking something away.

In this episode we talk about how "additive solution bias" can play out in our parenting strategies, and how we can become more aware of the times when what we actually need to do is take something away.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

• Why our brains are wired to solve problems by adding things
• How additive solution bias increases along with the size of the problem we're attempting to solve
• Why removing something, or doing less, isn't automatically easier

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Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Diana Kwon for Scientific American: "Our Brain Typically Overlooks This Brilliant Problem-Solving Strategy"
• Gabrielle S. Adams, et. al for Nature: "People systematically overlook subtractive changes"
• Less is more: Why our brains struggle to subtract
• Anthony Sanni: Additive Bias—and how it could be affecting your productivity
• Braess's paradox
• Rachel Fairbank for Lifehacker: "Why You Should 'Subtract' From Your Parenting"
• SUBTRACT by Leidy Klotz
• Our Fresh Take with Amanda Montell
• Our Fresh Take with Yael Schonbrun
• THE SENSORY CHILD GETS ORGANIZED by Carolyn Dalgliesh

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