32. Escaping the ‘Answer Trap’, and Why Slowing Down Speeds You Up

Aug 11, 2025

Kate Christiansen, a cognitive detective and author of "The Answer Trap," helps leaders enhance their thinking. In this discussion, she dives into the concept of the 'Answer Trap,' revealing how quick answers can stifle deeper understanding. Kate emphasizes the psychological effects of disruption, the dangers of relying on autopilot thinking, and the importance of curiosity in conversations. She advocates for slowing down to improve decision-making and fostering richer dialogues, urging us to embrace complexity rather than seek immediate closure.

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INSIGHT

Stopping Thought Is The Bigger Risk

The biggest risk may be stopping our thinking too soon rather than making a wrong decision.
Disruption pushes us toward quick closure that feels like progress but erodes quality thinking.

ADVICE

Warm Up Thinking With Stretch Questions

Use structured, answerable but slightly stretching questions to warm up thinking.
Ask questions that engage the brain and move people forward instead of shutting down with quick answers.

INSIGHT

Brain Thinking Needs A Warm-Up

Treat the brain like a muscle that needs limbering before big thinking.
Start with smaller stretch questions before driving to the biggest, hardest ones.

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Do you know that feeling when you're asked a question, you’re under pressure, so you reach for the nearest answer?

Or when you're in a meeting and someone says "let's not overcomplicate this" or "we just need to make a decision" and something inside you knows you're moving too fast, but the momentum carries you forward anyway?

This episode explores what Kate Christiansen calls "the Answer Trap," that invisible current pulling us toward quick closure when what we actually need is better thinking.

Kate shares how our brains, when faced with disruption and complexity, default to comfort-seeking patterns that feel like progress but actually limit our capacity to navigate what's really happening.

What if the biggest risk we face isn't making the wrong decision, but stopping our thinking too soon?

Kate Christiansen is a ‘cognitive detective’ who's spent decades helping leaders think more clearly when it matters most. Having lived through disruptive environments her entire career, she's developed an uncanny ability to see patterns in complexity that others miss.

Kate is the author of "The Answer Trap," a book that names something we've all experienced but never had language for.

In this episode, you'll discover:

How to recognise the five "autopilot" thinking patterns that drag us toward premature answers
Why disruption makes us crave closure and how this creates a cycle of reactive decision-making
How to switch from autopilot to "copilot" by partnering with your brain rather than being controlled by it
Why asking "What am I thinking right now?" is the simplest way to break free from default patterns
How AI both amplifies the answer trap and offers new ways to enhance our thinking
Why the "dodo effect" threatens our cognitive abilities and what we can do about it
How to create "surface piercing questions" that move beyond comfortable answers
Why slowing down in conversations actually accelerates better outcomes

Timestamps:

(00:00) - The Dodo Effect and Outsourcing Thinking

(10:57) - The Answer Trap: Understanding the Problem

(20:17) - The Relationship with AI: A Double-Edged Sword

(27:39) - Understanding Autopilots in Decision Making

(32:20) - Breaking Free from Autopilot Thinking

(46:09) - The Power of Naming the Answer Trap

Other references:

You can find Kate at:

Website: www.katechristiansen.com.au

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katechristiansen/

Check out my services and offerings https://www.digbyscott.com/

Subscribe to my newsletter https://www.digbyscott.com/subscribe

Follow me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/digbyscott/