Engineers, scientists, and most of all, businesses are looking for the right answer.
It’s such a common quest that we take it for granted, but it’s new, and it continues to cause stress.
The right answer is productive. It’s resilient. And it’s a powerful ranking tool. The right play wins the game, the right production method cuts costs, and the right theory explains what’s going to happen next.
The right answer doesn’t care about how you feel. It’s still the right answer.
One reason we resist engagements where there might be a right answer is that right answers also determine who is wrong. And we’ve been trained not to be wrong.
Another is that a right answer puts us on the hook. It requires responsibility. It’s easier to simply let someone else announce that they’re right, and do what they say. No assertions, no responsibility.
For ten thousand years, though, the dominant way of thought was the vibe. How does this make you feel? That’s subjective, transient, and up to us. Many ways to spell a word, many explanations for illness, many points of view, each as worthy as the next.
[Status plays many roles when it comes to belief. Those seeking (or possessing) status might celebrate the right answer, because it’s a path toward better. Others might reject the idea of proof, realizing that when subjective ideas collide, those in power can usually dictate what happens next. And for those who struggle in a role of less status, a reliance on belief can offer solace when the right answer lets them down.]
When fear arises, some people grasp for the right answer. The double-blind study, the proven medical intervention, the explained path forward. Others, though, run away from the stark possibilities provided by the right answer and take shelter in “it depends.”
Feelings have a huge evolutionary head start on facts.