Everyday formulae

December 15, 2017 1:24 AM

I'm reading that chapter in Daniel Kahneman's 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' about the surprising accuracy of equally weighted formulas. Looking for more examples.

In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman says that formulae combining equally weighted predictors are a way to moderate our natural impulses/intuition. E.g. the marital stability formula or 'happiness = time spent playing - time spent working' are surprisingly accurate and can act as a buffer to our more irrational impulses. Also e.g. the Helen Fischer formula. I find these really intriguing. Are there any others? I would be really happy to hear some new common-sense based ones too!

Thanks!! :)

posted by Crookshanks_Meow to Human Relations (1 answer total)

It sounds like you are are looking for rules of thumb, but written in such a way they can have an "=" sign in them?

So, always save at least 10% of your take-home income for retirement could be stated as 'retirement savings = income - 90% of income'

Googling "rules of thumb" will find you more things like this.
posted by yohko at 3:20 PM on December 15, 2017