Why Simple Solutions Can Be Overlooked

Every time physicists discover something new about the universe, they realize that the world is more complex than they previously thought. Ancient Greeks learned that the physical world can be broken down to tiny particles, and they named the particles “atoms.” They used their word for “indivisible” because they thought, surely, this is as complex as it gets.

Later, the first physicists who worked with the electron had no inkling of quantum mechanics. Now we talk about the types of quarks, and the next time we learn more, would you bet along with me that it won’t get any simpler?

It’s as if our understanding of the world is in constant movement toward the increasingly complex. And most people’s default mindset seems to have adjusted to this well.

When we work on many types of problems, we tend to favor additive solutions rather than starting with the simplification step. We fit an extra wheel to carts, use more description to explain things, or add another layer to a cake—to make it “better.” Sometimes we do these things because the additive solution appears easier, and often because we didn’t even think to consider the alternative.

Simplifying takes effort. Consider the quote, widely attributed to Mark Twain: “I apologize for such a long letter—didn’t have time to write a short one.”

Overlooking the simpler option

Children’s bikes have been a smaller version of what grownups use, except with small design tricks to make them easier to ride. My generation learned to cycle on tricycles or with training wheels. It took decades for someone to invent the strider bike, the pedal-less bicycle that teaches kids to balance on two wheels—the hardest part of cycling. One has to wonder how every engineer thought of adding wheels and other parts to the existing bicycle and never thought of getting rid of parts.

A study recently published in Nature showed that, in a series of problem-solving experiments, people systematically overlooked subtractive changes. Only when participants were reminded that both adding and subtracting could lead to potential solutions were they more likely to explore both approaches.

“Additive ideas come to mind quickly and easily, but subtractive ideas require more cognitive effort,” says Benjamin Converse, one of the study’s authors. “Because people are often moving fast and working with the first ideas that come to mind, they end up accepting additive solutions without considering subtraction at all.”

To determine why people most often choose additive solutions, the team conducted a series of experiments. In one, participants were asked to stabilize a LEGO structure. The majority of them went for the more expensive solution of adding many more blocks to hold the structure together instead of removing the single odd block.

“Subtraction is the act of getting to less, but it is not the same as doing less. In fact, getting to less often means doing, or at least thinking, more,” says Leidy Klotz, one of the researchers on the project and author of the book Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less.

It can be bad to be good

Whenever I’ve asked for expert help, I am always astonished at how quickly the person can recommend solutions or poke holes in the way I’ve been thinking through the problem. Experts can navigate their domain space like people can navigate the neighborhood they grew up in; they know every corner, every old nook and cranny.

And just like someone roaming their old neighborhood, an expert can miss things that a newbie can easily spot.

In a set of experiments, the psychology professor Jennifer Wiley found that, for certain types of problems, an expert's deep knowledge was the exact reason behind their inferior performance in problem solving.

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Extensive domain knowledge allows an expert to make assumptions and apply constraints in a problem space, making it possible to narrow the list of potential solutions—which, in turn, renders the search more efficient. But in remote association situations, this confined problem space may put them at a disadvantage.

Always question the core assumption

Often when multiple solutions are available to solve the same problem, the “simpler” one requires us to understand the problem space better. In the case of the strider bike, removing the pedals required deeper insight—recognizing that the hard part of cycling is not the pedaling but rather the learning to balance on two wheels. Without this insight, it’s hard to see how any engineer would consider removing the very part that propels the bike forward.

The next time you need to come up with a solution to a problem, consider spending a little time upfront to see if there’s a viable solution hiding in plain sight. Or, as some have said: Apply a beginner’s mindset, and always question any core assumptions.