There's a name for what happened with Alexis. It's called Escalation of Commitment to a Losing Course of Action. So how do you pull the plug sooner? I'm Adam Grant and this is Work Life, my podcast with the TED Audio Collective. In this show, I take you inside the minds of fascinating people to help us rethink how we work, lead, and live.
In life and work, we have a hard time changing course. When we wind up in a miserable job, a failing project, or a floundering romantic relationship, we rationalize, make excuses, and stick with our bad decisions—even when the writing's on the wall. Why? Usually we assume the driving force is sunk costs: we don't want to admit we've wasted that time or money. But in fact, the root of our stubbornness is a psychological trap called “escalation of commitment.” Once we understand that, we can start taking steps to protect ourselves from… well, ourselves. This is an episode of WorkLife with Adam Grant, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective. For more episodes, find and follow WorkLife wherever you're listening to this.