About News Why Our Brains Miss Opportunities to Improve through Subtraction Apr 07, 2021 Erin Tor Why Our Brains Miss Opportunities to Improve through Subtraction In a new paper featured on the cover of Nature, Batten’s Gabrielle Adams, Benjamin Converse and co-authors explain why people systematically overlook subtractive improvements. Illustration courtesy of Nature.Leaders can encourage desired behavior by adding incentives or removing barriers. Designers can advance technology by introducing new features or eliminating extraneous parts. Writers can strengthen arguments by adding or deleting words. Yet, despite the promise of streamlined processes, simpler products and honed arguments, new research shows that people often fail to notice subtractive improvement opportunities because they are too quick to add. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Virginia—Gabrielle Adams, from the Batten School; Benjamin Converse, from the Batten School and the Department of Psychology; former Batten School postdoctoral researcher Andrew Hales (now a faculty member at the University of Mississippi); and Leidy Klotz, from the School of Engineering and Applied Science—have been collaborating on a series of observational studies and experiments to document and explore this phenomenon. Their new paper, featured on the cover of the April 8 issue of the journal Nature, shows that while people tend to think of additive changes quickly and easily, generating ideas for subtractive changes requires more cognitive investment. By accepting the first ideas that come to mind, people often miss out on opportunities to improve the world by subtraction. The authors suggest that a preference for additive ideas may be one reason that people struggle with overwhelming schedules, that institutions struggle with proliferating red tape and that the planet is approaching its resource limits. When people overlook subtraction, they may neglect “opportunities to make their lives more fulfilling, their institutions more effective, and their planet more livable.” The paper, which also is the subject of a Nature video, may be viewed here. Please continue to visit this page as new articles covering the paper’s findings are added. The Academic Times, "People default to additive strategies when problem-solving, even if subtracting is more efficient" Ars Technica, "When asked to fix something, we don’t even think of removing parts" Behavioral Scientist, "Subtract: Why Getting to Less Can Mean Thinking More" CBC Radio, "When solving life's problems, people tend to add even when it's easier to subtract: study" Dagens Nyheter, "That's why it's so hard to be a minimalist" Daily Mail, "Less is more! People tend to add extra elements when asked to improve objects, ideas and situations - but removing them is actually more effective, study finds" The Economist, "Why people forget that less is often more" Forbes, "Business Leaders Often Overlook This Brilliant Problem-Solving Strategy When Making Career Decisions" Inverse, "You need to start using this psychology-based productivity hack" Science News, "People add by default even when subtraction makes more sense" Scientific American, "Our Brain Typically Overlooks This Brilliant Problem-Solving Strategy" Texas News Today, "It’s better to have less! Scientists say the human brain is having a hard time subtracting" UVA Today, "When It Comes to Problem-Solving, New UVA Study Finds That Less Is More" The Wall Street Journal, "How to Keep Your Cool When Markets Are Sizzling" Washington Post, "Humans solve problems by adding complexity, even when it’s against our best interests" ZME Science, "Our brain is hard-wired to make life more complicated rather than simple. Here’s a simple lifehack" Gabrielle Adams Gabrielle Adams is an assistant professor of public policy and business administration at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and in the Darden School of Business’s Leadership and Organizational Behavior area. Adams studies the processes and dynamics that give rise to ‘good’ decisions, policies and conditions in organizations. Read full bio Benjamin Converse Benjamin Converse is an associate professor of public policy and psychology at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on motivation, social judgment, problem solving and decision making. He teaches courses related to leadership and negotiations. Read full bio Related Content Gabrielle Adams People systematically overlook subtractive changes Research A series of problem-solving experiments reveal that people are more likely to consider solutions that add features than solutions that remove them, even when removing features is more efficient. New Research Finds Angry Denials of Wrongdoing Leave Strong Impressions of Guilt News The next time you are accused of doing something you did not do, you may want to check your anger at the door. New research from Batten's Gabrielle Adams has found that such strong reactions lead others to assume the worst: that you did exactly what you have been accused of doing. Batten Student to Pursue Master of Global Affairs Degree as a Schwarzman Scholar in Beijing News Batten student Lisette Dubow (BA '22) has been selected to pursue a one-year Master of Global Affairs degree as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing next year. Benjamin Converse People systematically overlook subtractive changes Research A series of problem-solving experiments reveal that people are more likely to consider solutions that add features than solutions that remove them, even when removing features is more efficient. Next Week, Next Month, Next Year: How Perceived Temporal Boundaries Affect Initiation Expectations Research To move from commitment to action, planners must think about the future and decide when to initiate. We demonstrate that planners prefer to initiate on upcoming days that immediately follow a temporal boundary. We instinctively add on new features and fixes. Why don’t we subtract instead? News Across a series of studies published this month in the journal Nature, Batten’s Gabrielle Adams, Benjamin Converse and co-authors demonstrated that people tend to overlook the option to subtract parts when asked to change or improve something. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, they explore why ‘less is more’ is a hard insight to act on. Why People Forget that Less is Often More News Why, when solving problems, do people prefer adding things to getting rid of them? In an article for The Economist, Batten’s Gabrielle Adams and Benjamin Converse explain their research on subtractive improvements. Stay Up To Date with the Latest Batten News and Events Subscribe
Gabrielle Adams Gabrielle Adams is an assistant professor of public policy and business administration at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and in the Darden School of Business’s Leadership and Organizational Behavior area. Adams studies the processes and dynamics that give rise to ‘good’ decisions, policies and conditions in organizations. Read full bio
Benjamin Converse Benjamin Converse is an associate professor of public policy and psychology at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on motivation, social judgment, problem solving and decision making. He teaches courses related to leadership and negotiations. Read full bio
People systematically overlook subtractive changes Research A series of problem-solving experiments reveal that people are more likely to consider solutions that add features than solutions that remove them, even when removing features is more efficient.
New Research Finds Angry Denials of Wrongdoing Leave Strong Impressions of Guilt News The next time you are accused of doing something you did not do, you may want to check your anger at the door. New research from Batten's Gabrielle Adams has found that such strong reactions lead others to assume the worst: that you did exactly what you have been accused of doing.
Batten Student to Pursue Master of Global Affairs Degree as a Schwarzman Scholar in Beijing News Batten student Lisette Dubow (BA '22) has been selected to pursue a one-year Master of Global Affairs degree as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing next year.
People systematically overlook subtractive changes Research A series of problem-solving experiments reveal that people are more likely to consider solutions that add features than solutions that remove them, even when removing features is more efficient.
Next Week, Next Month, Next Year: How Perceived Temporal Boundaries Affect Initiation Expectations Research To move from commitment to action, planners must think about the future and decide when to initiate. We demonstrate that planners prefer to initiate on upcoming days that immediately follow a temporal boundary.
We instinctively add on new features and fixes. Why don’t we subtract instead? News Across a series of studies published this month in the journal Nature, Batten’s Gabrielle Adams, Benjamin Converse and co-authors demonstrated that people tend to overlook the option to subtract parts when asked to change or improve something. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, they explore why ‘less is more’ is a hard insight to act on.
Why People Forget that Less is Often More News Why, when solving problems, do people prefer adding things to getting rid of them? In an article for The Economist, Batten’s Gabrielle Adams and Benjamin Converse explain their research on subtractive improvements.