Overcome These 3 Cognitive Biases to Boost Your Creativity—Part 2

Many of us go much of our lives without hearing the word “cognitive bias.”

It’s not a subject normally taught in school, unless you attend a college or university. Even then, we may miss it unless our course load contained Psychology or Critical Thinking.

It’s a loss for us, considering just a little bit of knowledge of cognitive biases and the tools to overcome them can improve our reasoning, problem-solving ability, and creativity.

In Part 1 of this series, we examined the Functional Fixedness cognitive bias: how it can limit our creativity, and how to overcome it.

In this Part 2, we will take a look at another mental block to creative thinking: “Additive Bias.”

Additive Bias

In a nutshell, Additive Bias is our tendency to make changes, solve problems, and improve designs by adding things instead of removing them.

In one study published in 2021, psychologists conducted 8 different experiments to explore “whether people tend to search for subtractive changes less readily than they search for additive changes.”

Participants were asked to improve the design of a Lego structure to support a masonry brick held above a figurine.

One group of participants was told that adding Legos to the structure “cost 10 cents.”

Another group was told the same thing, but also that removing a brick was free.

For each group, their goal was to change the structure to support the brick with the least cost.

The problem had an easy solution that involved removing a single brick.

How did the two groups do? Of group that was told “adding cost 10 cents,” 59% of them did not see the easy solution of removing the one brick. They only added bricks.

The group that was told that removing a brick was free did only slightly better: 39% still missed the easy solution.

What was the researchers conclusion from this experiment and their others?

We default to “additive” changes when solving problems:

Defaulting to searches for additive changes may be one reason that people struggle to mitigate overburdened schedules, institutional red tape, and damaging effects on the planet.

Adams, G.S., Converse, B.A., Hales, A.H. et al. People systematically overlook subtractive changes. Nature 592, 258–261 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03380-y

Whether it’s a design for a website, a blog post, a new recipe, the interior design of our living room, or other creative tasks, when our goal is to improve something our first thought is usually: “What can I add?” not “What can I remove?”

How to Overcome Additive Bias

Adding more stuff can improve a design or solve a problem, but it’s only one half of the space of possibilities. We should also consider whether we can improve or solve it by removing.

Removing elements can add focus and clarity to a visual design, highlight a tasty ingredient in a dish that is otherwise drowned in other flavors, or create more relaxed atmosphere in our rooms.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, an author and an aircraft designer, understood this principle well. In a book about aircraft design, he wrote:

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

―Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

A good reminder to consider not just what to add, but what to take away.

Whether we are solving problems or working on creative DIY projects, we can overcome Additive Bias by intentionally asking ourselves “What can I take away?”

The Role of Cognitive Load

The authors of the Lego experiment mentioned above also found that the Additive Bias intensifies the more mental work we are performing, or the more things we are holding in our working memory, also called our cognitive load:

Improving objects, ideas or situations—whether a designer seeks to advance technology, a writer seeks to strengthen an argument or a manager seeks to encourage desired behaviour[sic]—requires a mental search for possible changes.
…
 Across eight experiments, participants were less likely to identify advantageous subtractive changes … when they were under a higher (versus lower) cognitive load.

Adams, G.S., Converse, B.A., Hales, A.H. et al. People systematically overlook subtractive changes. Nature 592, 258–261 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03380-y

Or, more simply: Additive Bias increases when we are mentally overwhelmed.

So, another effective way to overcome Additive Bias is to decrease our mental load when working.

How can we decrease our mental load?

Here are three simple ways:

1. Use “chunking” and other memory aids. If possible, group items in your memory into easier-to-handle chunks. Or, instead of relying on your memory or your ability to visualize a solution, use pencil and paper to write it down or draw it out. Explain your solution to yourself by typing it out in a word document. Use a whiteboard to draw diagrams or mind maps. The point is: get the pieces out of your head and onto paper (or some other media).
2. Sleep on it. There is some evidence that our minds consolidate our memories during restful sleep. New ideas, concepts, and skills become easier to work with because our minds simplify and stabilize the memories we use when working.
3. Pause and breathe. Taking a short, 30-second break can clear your mind of extraneous thoughts and concerns, allowing you to re-focus on the essence of your task. Focusing only on your breath using a breathing technique can also help.

Give these a try, and you’ll find overcoming the Additive Bias can open up new creative solutions in your work and play.

In Part 3 of this series (coming soon), we will consider the final bias with the biggest potential to help, or hinder, your creative work: The Law of the Instrument.