Status Quo Bias is the tendency to stick with familiar choices, even when better options exist, and it impacts decisions in many areas, including diving. From Coca-Cola's "New Coke" failure to nitrox's initial resistance in the diving world, this bias highlights our preference for the familiar and reluctance to embrace change. It shows up in dive site routes we repeat, equipment setups we hesitate to adjust, and training paths we follow without exploring alternatives. Being aware of this bias can help us question our habits, seek new perspectives, and make more informed decisions in diving and beyond.

Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/status-quo

Links: Maintaining the Status Quo: https://www.academia.edu/8285384/The_Psychology_of_Preferences?

…If there is choice overload: https://econweb.umd.edu/~masatlioglu/DKM.pdf

…if there are costs to consider: https://philarchive.org/archive/NEBSQB

Tags: English, Cognitive Biases, Decision-Making, Leadership, Mike Mason