Cognition
Complaints Can Solve Problems
How we can use our natural tendency to complain and find faults for good.
Key points
Humans, as a whole, have a natural penchant for complaining and seeing the negative in situations.
In everyday interactions, this is hardly an endearing trait.
However, listing out complaints can be used to solve vexing problems via the inversion method.
This approach is used across industries and can help various businesses innovate and improve.
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penchant [명사][ˈpentʃənt]
. 애호 (=fondness)
. 스포츠를 매우 좋아하다
. …에 대한 기호.
. 번쩍 번쩍하는 넥타이를 즐기다.
. 화학에 대해서 취미를 가지고 있는 사람들.
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curmudgeons NOUNplural of curmudgeon curmudgeonkɚˈmʌʤən NOUNold-fashioneda person (especially an old man) who is easily annoyed or angered and who often complains |
silver lining |
Nobody likes negative people curmudgeons who can’t seem to do anything but complain. Therefore, the logical advice is to avoid negativity in our lives: Reframe bad things in a positive way, see the silver lining, compare our current situation to the worst-case scenario, and practice gratitude even for the smallest things in life.
These are indeed great steps to take. However, we may have short-changed negativity a bit.
Overwhelming negativity at the first inkling of trouble can indeed be paralyzing. But there is something very useful that negativity can give us, if only we know how to use it.
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curmudgeon
US
kɚˈmʌʤən
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inkling
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first inkling . (일어나고 있거나 일어날 일에 대해) 눈치챔[느낌] (=suspicion)
. 눈치를 채다
. …을 어렴풋이 알다
. 남에게 …을 넌지시 비추다
. …에 대한 짐작.
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Why We Can Be So Negative
We humans are so attuned to negativity that this phenomenon has been termed “negativity bias” or “negativity dominance.” This potentially evolved as a survival mechanism—it is better to be overly cautious and miss out on opportunities than overly risky and die at the paws of a predator.
Indeed, research finds that negative events and stimuli affect us more strongly than their positive counterparts. We notice negative changes more quickly than positive changes. We are a lot more bothered if others view us negatively than we feel good when others view us positively.
In my own classroom of business students and executives, I find this consistently: I show a slide full of frowny emojis with one smiley emoji among them, followed by a slide full of smiley emojis with one frowny hiding among them. Invariably, learners find the frowny much more quickly than the smiley. Negative stuff pops out more than positive stuff.
All this amounts to virtually all of us being very good complainers. Can this ever be a good thing?
| stimuli affec |
counterparts |
attuned . 익숙한, 적절히 대응하는
. (Abbr.) AIM.
. (Abbr.) RIPAR.
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. 변함[예외]없이, 언제나 (=without fail)
invariable [형용사]
. 변함없는, 변치 않는 (→variable), (=unchanging)
. (Abbr.) INVAR.
. 꼭 군중을 모으는 광경.
invariably★
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Complaining, Usefully
Believe it or not, the answer is decidedly yes.
Consider a problem that might be vexing you. As a straightforward example, take the goal of being a successful contributor to Psychology Today. Most people will approach this goal by thinking about things they should be doing to achieve it and trying to prioritize among them. This is not a bad approach, but here is an alternative that can be even better.
Consider the following: What if we take the opposite goal—that is, instead of thinking about how to be a successful contributor, we think about how to be a total failure?
It may sound odd, but stay with me. What does it take to ensure failure? Because negativity comes so naturally to us, most of us can easily come up with features of failed writers:
- Write new articles irregularly and infrequently
- Do not scrutinize your ideas; instead, pick ideas to write about even if they are boring or irrelevant to your audience
- Use trite phrases and an unengaging style
- Do very little research so that your claims are never backed up
- Entertain little to no feedback from your audience
We could go on to list additional items. But the point is that it is much easier for most of us to come up with features of failed contributors than features of successful ones.
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vexing [형용사]
vex [동사]
. 성가시게[짜증나게]하다
. 성가신 문제
. 짜증나는 문제.
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1. 간단한, 쉬운, 복잡하지 않은 (=easy)
2. 솔직한
. (Abbr.) SF.
. 똑바로, 솔직하게, 간단한
. [Adjective] Alternative spelling of straightforward
. [Adjective] Alternative spelling of straightforward
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scrutinize . 세심히 살피다, 면밀히 조사[검토]하다
. 예리하게 음미하다.
. ...을 면밀히 검사하다.
. 머리끝부터 발끝까지 자세히 보다.
. 면밀히[철저하게] 조사하다.
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. 마음을 끌지 않는, 매력 없는
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. 세심히 살피다, 면밀히 조사[검토]하다
. 예리하게 음미하다.
. ...을 면밀히 검사하다.
. 머리끝부터 발끝까지 자세히 보다.
. 면밀히[철저하게] 조사하다.
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What Happens When We Invert the Complaint?
Now, for the magic. Let’s flip each of the items:
Write new articles regularly and frequently
Scrutinize your ideas thoroughly; pick only ideas that are interesting and relevant to your audience (this requires getting to know your audience, too!)
Focus on writing in an engaging manner
Do your research so that every important claim is backed up Seek out feedback from your audience to see what works and what doesn’t; then, focus your efforts on what works to continuously improve your writing
The result is a list of clear steps required for success. But beyond turning the negative into the positive, there are three advantages to this inversion method compared to a straightforward problem-solving approach.
First, for most people, it is easier to start with negatives because doing so uses the negativity bias to our advantage, as opposed to letting it act to our detriment. Second, because it is easier to come up with negatives, once we flip them into positives we tend to have a more comprehensive list than if we had started with positives. Third, the list we end up with is likely to be more creative than we had started with positives.
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Scrutinize
타동사 [VN] 세심히 살피다, 면밀히 조사[검토]하다 She leaned forward to scrutinize their faces. 그녀가 앞으로 몸을 숙이고 그들의 얼굴을 세심히 살폈다. |
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. 연달아
continuously [부사]
.
continuous [형용사]
1. 계속되는, 지속적인
2. (선 같은 것이 끊어짐 없이) 계속 이어지는
3. (여러 번) 반복된[거듭된] (=continual)
continue [동사]
1. (쉬지 않고) 계속되다
2. (쉬지 않고) 계속하다
3. (같은 방향으로) 계속 가다[이어지다]
continuity [명사]
1. 지속성 (↔discontinuity)
2. (논리적) 연속성[연관성] (↔discontinuity)
3. 콘티(영화나 텔레비전 프로 제작 시 배우들의 옷이나 소품 등이 장면의 연계성을 유지할 수 있도록 작성하는 촬영용 대본)
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. 손상(을 초래하는 것)
. 결국 ~을 해치며
. (~을) 해치지 않고
. …에 손해 없이, …을 손상하지 않고
. …을 손상함.
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. (위치·순서 등의) 도치[전도]
. 자리바꿈, 역전, 안쪽번짐, 내번(증)(內飜(症)), 역위(逆位), 전도(轉倒), 도착(倒錯), 동성애(同性愛), 전화(轉化), (치의)역생((齒~)逆生), 자리바뀜. 정신과에서는 성적 도착, 동성애를 말한다. 유전학에서는 염색체가 두 곳에서 ...
invert [동사]
. (아래위를) 뒤집다, (순서를) 도치시키다
. 진실의 전도
. 정상 어순의 도치
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The Inversion Method in Practice
This isn't just a method I invented to make a point. It has been useful in various applied fields.
The aviation industry, for instance, routinely practices the inversion method. They rigorously analyze past accidents and complaints and work with regulators to anticipate and hopefully prevent future failures. Similarly, cities plagued by traffic congestion often start by asking what exacerbates gridlock. Industrial engineers ask what would make a factory or machine unsafe. After starting with the negatives, people in these professions invert them into positive actionable steps.
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. (위치·순서 등의) 도치[전도]
. 자리바꿈, 역전, 안쪽번짐, 내번(증)(內飜(症)), 역위(逆位), 전도(轉倒), 도착(倒錯), 동성애(同性愛), 전화(轉化), (치의)역생((齒~)逆生), 자리바뀜. 정신과에서는 성적 도착, 동성애를 말한다. 유전학에서는 염색체가 두 곳에서 ...
invert [동사]
. (아래위를) 뒤집다, (순서를) 도치시키다
. 진실의 전도
. 정상 어순의 도치
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rigorously [부사]
.
rigorously [부사]
. 엄격히, 엄밀히.
1. 철저한, 엄격한 (=thorough)
2. (규칙 적용 등이) 엄격한 (=strict)
. 엄밀한
. 규칙을 엄격하게 적용하다
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. (특히 질병·문제를) 악화시키다 (=aggravate)
. (Abbr.) EX.
ex·acer·bate미국식ɪɡ|zæsərbeɪt영국식ɪɡ|zæsəbeɪt
동사형
3인칭 단수 현재exacerbates과거형exacerbated과거 분사exacerbated현재 분사exacerbating
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gridlock
1. (도로상의 교통) 정체 2. (보통 정치에서 의견 차이로 인한) 정체[교착] 상태 Congress is in gridlock. 의회가 정체 상태에 빠져 있다. |
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Delegation as a Booster
One particularly effective way of enhancing the inversion method is through delegation. Delegation can significantly enhance the effectiveness of the inversion method by distributing problem-solving efforts across diverse perspectives.
When we assign specific aspects of a problem to different team members, friends, and acquaintances, they can tap into a wider range of expertise and creativity. One group, for instance, might explore worst-case scenarios while another can identify potential solutions.
Delegation not only lightens the cognitive load on specific individuals but also fosters a collaborative environment where innovative ideas can emerge. We don’t have to do it alone; through effective delegation, we can accelerate the transition from identifying problems to inverting them into positive steps to implementing solutions.
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. (위치·순서 등의) 도치[전도]
. 자리바꿈, 역전, 안쪽번짐, 내번(증)(內飜(症)), 역위(逆位), 전도(轉倒), 도착(倒錯), 동성애(同性愛), 전화(轉化), (치의)역생((齒~)逆生), 자리바뀜. 정신과에서는 성적 도착, 동성애를 말한다. 유전학에서는 염색체가 두 곳에서 ...
invert [동사]
. (아래위를) 뒤집다, (순서를) 도치시키다
. 진실의 전도
. 정상 어순의 도치
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. 발이 넓다, 아는 사람이 많다
. 반갑지 않은 친구.
. 우리들은 마치 구면인것 처럼.
. 교제장소에서 알게 된 사람들.
. 내가 최근 읽은 책 들.
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. 전문 지식[기술]
. 고객들에게 전문적 조언을 주다
area of expertise [명사]
. 전문분야
. 전문적 식견을 쌓다
. …의 전문 지식[기술].
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Delegation
1. (조직·국가 등의 의사를 대표하는) 대표단
2. 위임
delegate [명사]
1. (집단의 의사를 대표하는) 대표(자)
. 교사 대표단
trade delegation [명사]
. 무역 대표
. 사절단을 파견하다
delegation
미국∙영국
ˌdelɪˈɡeɪʃn
영국식
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. 인식[인지]의
. (=CBT)
. 아동의 인지 발달
. 인식력
. 인지적(認知的) 불협화
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A Final Thought
A common response when someone asks you how you are doing is to say, “I can’t complain.” Of course, we in fact can complain easily. In everyday conversation, it can be a chore to talk to someone who constantly complains. However, in business, our penchant for complaining can paradoxically help us solve vexing problems so long as we use it appropriately.
| paradoxically .
paradox [명사]
1. 역설적인 사람[것/상황]
2. 역설
paradoxical [형용사]
.
. 역설적(逆說的)으로 말하면.
. 그가 그것을 역설적으로 말했듯이.
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vex [동사]
. 성가시게[짜증나게]하다
. 성가신 문제
. 짜증나는 문제.
. 귀찮은 세계문제.
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References
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323–370.
Klein, N., & Epley, N. (2016). Maybe holier, but definitely less evil, than you: Bounded self-righteousness in social judgment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 110(5), 660–674
O'Brien, E., & Klein, N. (2017). The tipping point of perceived change: Asymmetric thresholds in diagnosing improvement versus decline. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 112(2), 161–185.