The normalization of (almost) everything: Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal

Society’s failure to act on crises such as climate change reflects a deeper cognitive misalignment in how our minds perceive change over time. Understanding this failure requires perspectives from psychology, machine learning, neuroscience, and public policy. My research addresses this gap by combining these fields. In one study, we examined the “boiling frog effect” and found that people perceive climate change as more impactful when shown binary data rather than continuous data, because binary data creates an illusion of sudden change. In another study, we examined hedonic adaptation and showed that the drive to always want “more” is computationally optimal, even at emotional cost. Together, this research shows how our minds can normalize existential risks and suggests strategies to counteract disengagement. Read his award-winning essay.