When faced with a difficult question, System 1 automatically substitutes an easier question without conscious awareness of the switch.
System 1 handles hard questions by answering easier ones instead. 'How happy are you with your life?' becomes 'What's my mood right now?' 'How effective is this CEO?' becomes 'How confident does she seem?' The substitution is automatic and often produces reasonable approximations, but systematically distorts judgment when the easy question diverges from the hard one. This mechanism underlies many cognitive biases—we're not answering the question we think we're answering.
A venture capitalist evaluating 'Will this startup succeed?' unconsciously substitutes 'Do I like this founder?' The easier question (likeability) replaces the harder question (probability of success), leading to biased investment decisions.
You're consciously aware of what question you're answering—the substitution happens automatically and unconsciously.
Logically equivalent choices produce different decisions when framed differently (as gains vs. losses, or with different reference points).
PrincipleContinuing an endeavor because of previously invested resources (time, money, effort) that cannot be recovered, even when continuing is irrational.
PrincipleFast, automatic, unconscious cognitive processing that operates through pattern recognition and associative memory without deliberate effort.
Mental ModelSlow, effortful, conscious cognitive processing required for complex calculations, unfamiliar tasks, and deliberate reasoning.
Mental ModelThe tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the anchor) when making decisions, even when it's arbitrary or irrelevant.
PrincipleJudging the frequency or probability of events by how easily examples come to mind, leading to overestimation of vivid, recent, or emotional events.
PrincipleJudging probability by similarity to stereotypes or prototypes, while ignoring base rates and sample size.
PrincipleLosses hurt approximately twice as much as equivalent gains feel good, making people risk-averse for gains and risk-seeking for losses.
PrincipleWhen faced with a difficult question, System 1 automatically substitutes an easier question without conscious awareness of the switch.
A venture capitalist evaluating 'Will this startup succeed?' unconsciously substitutes 'Do I like this founder?' The easier question (likeability) replaces the harder question (probability of success), leading to biased investment decisions.
You're consciously aware of what question you're answering—the substitution happens automatically and unconsciously.
Substitution (Heuristic Question Replacement) is explored in depth in "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. Distilo provides a deep AI-powered analysis with key insights, audio narration, and practical frameworks.