No. 297 · Your own mind · Human Nature and Judgement
Commitment and Consistency Bias
Once we have said or done something, we bend later choices to stay consistent with it.
In the Almanac
“The ugly sign in Palo Alto”, 1966 · “Swissair”, 1998–2001
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Commitment and Consistency Bias?
Commitment and Consistency Bias is the pull to act in line with our past words and choices. A small yes, like signing a petition, makes a bigger yes far more likely, and organizations can keep funding failing plans just to stay consistent.
How do you avoid Commitment and Consistency Bias?
Use it wisely: ask whether you would make the same choice today, knowing what you know now. Then turn it in your favor by making small, public commitments toward goals you genuinely want.
When does Commitment and Consistency Bias matter?
Commitment and Consistency Bias is one of the 31 mental models for your own mind, the situations where you ask: Is my own thinking leading me astray? Within that, it belongs to “Seeing what you want to see”, alongside Blind Spot Bias, Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias.
What is an example of Commitment and Consistency Bias?
Two stories show it at work: The ugly sign in Palo Alto (1966) and Swissair (1998–2001). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Commitment and Consistency Bias?
Sunk Cost Fallacy, Reciprocity and Gateway Drug Theory. Commitment and Consistency Bias itself comes from human nature and judgement.