Larry has a pain in his shoulder, but he doesn’t want to see a doctor. He is afraid that he might need surgery, which he doesn’t want. Larry is a victim of “calculated ignorance.”
Calculated ignorance is when we avoid information we don’t want to hear. We might avoid information that threatens to darken our mood—why watch the nightly news if it’s just going to make us angry? Or information that calls one of our cherished beliefs into question—if we think of ourselves as smart, we might ignore evidence that we’ve done something dumb. Or information that might make us feel obliged to do something we don’t want to—if we learn about people who are struggling, we could feel compelled to sacrifice our time or money to help.
The consequences of calculated ignorance can be catastrophic when we avoid information about our health. Medical problems can become difficult or impossible to treat when allowed to linger.
Here, tips for overcoming calculated ignorance…
Consider ways in which you have some control. If you are afraid you have no control over the situation, think about other aspects of your life where you are in control. A sense of control seems to make us more willing to confront difficult facts. One recent study found that women were significantly less likely to avoid learning the odds that they would get breast cancer if they first read about breast cancer risk factors that were within their control, rather than about learning about uncontrollable risks for the disease.
Consider what you value most deeply. This might be your family, your work ethic, your sense of fair play or anything else that’s at the core of your value system or the top of your list of life priorities. Recount things you have done recently that reflect these values and priorities. Studies suggest that focusing on core values and priorities decreases information avoidance, perhaps because it makes the information being avoided seem trivial in comparison.
Consider why you are avoiding the information. Sometimes we avoid information because our fears are operating on autopilot. Thinking through why we are doing this can shut off the autopilot and put us back in control.
