14 Paradoxes To Think About
“Only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life.”
Life is odd, and lots of things don’t make sense.
This is because many profound truths are paradoxical; two seemingly contradictory ideas can coexist.
Like them or not, paradoxes make life interesting.
Rather than trying to fight them, you should learn to live with them. Celebrate them, even.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at fourteen paradoxes worth knowing about:
1. The Abilene Paradox
People do what they think others want to do.
In groups, we often make decisions based on what we think others want. This can lead to the comical situation of everybody doing something nobody wants to do simply because they think that’s what everybody else wants to do.
2. The Happiness Paradox
The more you chase happiness, the more it eludes you.
The ‘Happiness Paradox’ is related to the ‘Backwards Law’, a concept introduced to the West by the English writer and philosopher Alan Watts.
It explains the ironic phenomenon of feeling less satisfied the more you chase something. Case in point, pursuing happiness can often make you feel less happy because it reminds you of your unhappy state.
In other words, seeking something reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place.
3. Fredkin's Paradox
The more similar two choices are, the more time the person making the decision spends on deciding.
Proposed by Edward Fredkin, Fredkin’s Paradox states:
"The more equally attractive two alternatives seem, the harder it can be to choose between them—no matter that, to the same degree, the choice can only matter less."
In other words, you can easily spend the most time on the least important decisions.
4. The Transparency Paradox
The more transparent the workplace, the more privately people behave.
Think that open-plan offices are better than cubicles? Not so fast.
One Harvard Business School study suggests that productivity is improved by creating more privacy as workers modify their behaviour when they feel others are observing them. See the ‘Observer Paradox’ below.
5. The Icarus Paradox
Some businesses bring about their downfall through their own successes.
The ‘Icarus Paradox’ is a term coined by Danny Miller in his 1990 book by the same name.
It observes the phenomenon that the seeds of success in certain organisations are also the seeds of their downfall.
The reason? As a company grows, it tends to double down on what made it successful whilst ignoring new emerging threats and challenges in the market.
6. The Observer's Paradox
The outcome of an event or experiment is influenced by the presence of the observer.
People who know they are being observed will often behave differently.
The moment someone is aware they are being watched, they will start thinking consciously about their behaviour and will likely modify it.
If you’re researching human behaviour, this is a critically important thing to be aware of.
7. The Inventor's Paradox
Sometimes to solve a specific problem, you must first solve a more general one.
When solving a problem, it is tempting to narrow down the parameters and focus on the particulars whilst ignoring the ‘bigger picture’.
In other words, to solve a specific problem, you may have to solve more than that to get a deeper understanding of the problem.
8. The Advice Paradox
The more advice you are given, the less useful it becomes.
It seems that receiving advice is subject to its own Law of Diminishing Returns. At some point, more advice becomes less useful. Ultimately, no matter how much advice you receive, you still have to decide yourself.
9. Solomon's Paradox
We're better at solving other people's problems than our own.
How good are you at giving your friends wise advice? Do you also provide the same quality of counsel to yourself?
Being detached from a problem helps you see it more objectively and think more rationally about the appropriate solution.
Interestingly, research by Kross et al. (2014) found viewing oneself in the 3rd person generates a similar level of detachment as if you were helping a friend with their problem. So if you’re trying to help yourself, imagine you're helping a friend.
10. Jevon’s Paradox
Increases in efficiency lead to greater use of something, not the opposite.
‘Jevon’s Paradox’ is an example of an unintended consequence. The classic example of ‘Jevon's Paradox’ is the observation that England's consumption of coal jumped after the introduction of efficiency improvements in steam engines, namely the Watt steam engine.
11. The Man in the Car Paradox
Nobody is as impressed as you are with your possessions.
When you see someone in a flash car and look at them, it’s not them you’re admiring. It's the expensive machine they’re driving. However, the man in the car believes themselves to be the object of your attention.
12. The Paradox of Value
Water is more useful than diamonds, yet is a lot cheaper.
Also known as the ‘Diamond-Water Paradox’, the ‘Paradox of Value’ explains how value is a matter of perception rather than utility. In other words, many ‘useless’ things have great value. E.g. Many luxury goods.
13. The Self-Absorption Paradox
The more self-aware you become the more psychological distress and well-being you experience.
Higher levels of self-awareness are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you become more aware of your shortcomings, which results in psychological distress; on the other, you become more aware of the positive, causing improved physiological well-being.
How’s that for a contradiction?
14. The Effort Paradox
You have to put in a lot of effort to make something appear effortless.
The best performers make what they do look effortless. However, to achieve this level of skill, they must put in a great deal of effort first. In other words, effortless performances are often the result of challenging, repeated practice.
Photo by 愚木混株 cdd20 on Unsplash
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