Whether we are free from this empirical, objective sense does not detract from the feeling of being free to choose how to act in one way or another, or to choose to act or not to act.

Here’s how each essentially functions:

• The emotion default: we tend to respond to feelings rather than reasons and fact.

• The ego default: we tend to react to anything that threatens our sense of self-worth or our position in a group hierarchy.

• The social default: we tend to conform to the norms of our larger social group.

• The inertia default: we’re habit forming and comfort seeking. We tend to resist change, and prefer ideas, processes, and environments that are familiar.

There are no hard edges between defaults; they often bleed into one another. Each on their own is enough to cause unforced errors, but when they act together things quickly go from bad to worse.

1.3. The Ego Default

Our ego tempts us into thinking we’re more than we are. Left unchecked, it can turn confidence into overconfidence or even arrogance. We get a bit of knowledge on the internet and suddenly we are full of hubris. Everything seems easy. As a result, we take risks that we may not understand we’re taking. We must resist this kind of unearned confidence, though, if we are to get the results we desire.

The people with the best defaults are typically the ones with the best environment. Sometimes it’s part of a deliberate strategy, and sometimes it’s just plain luck. Either way, it’s easier to align yourself with the right behaviour when everyone just is already doing it.

The way to improve your defaults isn’t by willpower but by creating an intentional environment where your desired behaviour becomes the default behaviour.

Conclusion

The Value of Clear Thinking

Good judgment is expensive, but poor judgment will cost you a fortune.

The overarching message of this book is that there are invisible instincts that conspire against good judgement. Your defaults encourage you to react without reasoning— to live unconsciously rather than deliberately.

When you revert to defaults, you engage in a game you can't win. When you live a life run on autopilot, you get bad results. You make things worse. You say things that can't be unsaid and do things that can't be undone. You might accomplish your immediate goal, but you fail to realize that you’ve made it harder to achieve your ultimate goals. All of this happens without consciously being aware you are exercising judgment in the first place.