Why Truth Seeking Is Not Natural (Why Smart People Make Dumb Decisions)

A reflection from Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

Hej! It’s William!

This is part of the "Meller Highlights" series with reflections and learnings from my personal book highlights. As mentioned here, this series is now something I’m keeping special for the people who support this channel as paid subscribers.

If you’ve been following along and enjoying the ideas I share, I’d love to have you join them. Becoming a subscriber not only gives you full access, but it also helps me keep creating and going deeper with the work I do.

How do these highlights work? Every day I pick one idea from my reading and think about how to apply it in real life. Most stay as private notes, but once a week, I choose one that feels special.

That’s the one I share here, a highlight that turns into a deeper reflection on how it can change the way we do something.

Today’s highlight: Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

“Truth seeking, the desire to know the truth regardless of whether the truth aligns with the beliefs we currently hold, is not naturally supported by the way we process information. We might think of ourselves as open-minded and capable of updating our beliefs based on new information, but the research conclusively shows otherwise. Instead of altering our beliefs to fit new information, we do the opposite, altering our interpretation of that information to fit our beliefs.”

Let’s reflect on that…

Let’s be honest... We all like to think we’re open-minded. That we listen to facts. That we update our thinking when something better comes along.

But most of the time, we don’t. We collect ideas that confirm what we already believe.

We listen to people who agree with us. And when we do come across something that challenges us, we often twist it a little until it fits our current view.

And we don’t even notice we’re doing it. This quote reminded me that truth-seeking is not natural. It’s not how the brain works by default. It’s something we have to do on purpose. Slowly. With effort.

In real life, this shows up in simple moments. Someone gives us feedback, and we immediately find a reason why they’re wrong.

A new study comes out, and we search for the flaw in it instead of asking what it means for us.

A teammate suggests a different way, and we shut it down because “we’ve always done it this way.”

It’s not always ego. Sometimes it’s just comfort. Certainty feels safer than questioning.

But if we want to grow in work, in thinking, in how we lead, we have to get better at this. At noticing when we’re protecting an old belief. Sitting with discomfort. At asking ourselves: “What if I’m wrong?”

Not to beat ourselves up. But to stay real.

Good decisions don’t come from being right all the time. They come from being willing to change our minds when the facts change.

That’s where better thinking starts. Or at least that is what I believe.

And you know what? It’s rare.

Most people stay stuck in the same loops for years. Not because they’re lazy, but because changing your view feels like admitting you were wrong. And that’s hard.

But what if it wasn’t about right or wrong?

What if it was just about getting closer to the truth — in your choices, your work, your life?

That’s how truth seeking becomes a practice.
Not something you wait for.
Something you do.

Have you ever caught yourself bending facts to fit what you already believed? Or had a moment where someone helped you see things differently, and it changed everything?

If you feel like sharing, I’d love to hear it.

This is your daily tip, inspired by one of my highlights from Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke.

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