Why We Get the Politics We Deserve - Part 1
1/3: The Focusing Illusion
We get the politics we deserve.
I mean this in a neutral way: we get what we put out.
We can complain about politics. What we cannot do, is deny our role in it. We shape politics, whether we like it or not, and whether we think we do or not.
You don't vote? You increase the relative weight of the votes of others.
You don't inform yourself? You are prey to manipulation.
You don't talk about politics? You make the voice of those who do more prevalent.
You don't want to be involved in politics? Others are watching and following your lead.
It's a fallacy to believe that not doing something is innocent. No. Not doing something has consequences.
If you are unhappy with politics, how have you contributed to it?
There are three forces through which we shape politics. They are subtle and operate under the surface. They apply even when we're seemingly doing nothing or keeping politics at arm's length.
The first: the focusing illusion.
It's one of the most undervalued concepts to understand the world better, according to the prominent cognitive scientist and Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.
The focusing illusion states that what we focus on becomes important in our minds, or:
"Nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it."
- Daniel Kahneman
For example, you might believe lottery winners must be ecstatic. But their joy plummets soon after winning, according to the principle of hedonic adaptation: we return to a base-line of happiness. While you focus on them being lottery winners, they quickly turn their attention elsewhere: to everyday worries, tasks, life. Your focus makes you believe their lottery win is important. Their focus makes them believe their stomach ache or dinner plans are important.
What's the link to politics: How do we shape politics through the focusing illusion?
First, your focus shapes politics. What you focus on becomes important to you. What is important to you is important to others (the third force I'll say more about in another post), not least to politicians who use surveys, focus groups, social media analyses, election results to understand what matters to you. What you google, hitting the like button, and even spending more than a few seconds watching a Reel - it all sends a signal, and others are receiving it. It shapes political programmes, campaign topics and ultimately legislation.
But how did some topics become more important to you than others? Was it a deliberate choice? If so, how can you be sure you are not backward rationalizing?
The focusing illusion urges us to ask a prior question: How did you end up focusing on one topic versus another?
And that's where the focusing illusion is not a one-way street.
Not only does your focus shape politics. Politics shapes your focus, if you let it. Do you sometimes wonder how political debates revolve around issues that you believe to not be the top priority? In that case, it's a mismatch; what you deem important and what politicians and journalists deem important are at odds. At least for now. Keep your attention there, and you may find those topics become more important over time.
What I take away from the focusing illusion:
We have a responsibility to pay attention to what we pay attention to. It matters to you and others.
Zoom out and keep calm. While we're focused on a topic, it seems more important than it otherwise is. Imagine if you took that to heart in the heat of hostile debate, or a tense negotiation.
Attention wanders, but if we have clarity on what really matters in our lives, we're not going to be carried away so easily. The foundation of that clarity comes from your values, purpose, vision, strengths, goals.
In my next post, I'll share what I see as the other two forces behind the claim that 'we get the politics we deserve'.
Until next time,
Daniel
p.s. I moved politicwise to another platform - Substack. You’ll already find the latest posts, and all podcast episodes - and I’ll soon also share resources like book notes, self-assessments and more…
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