The “herd immunity” strategy for dealing with COVID-19 made me very angry at those suggesting it because I am married to someone who would be killed by such a strategy. Unfortunately, my offense, while understandable, is not actually useful. COVID-19 requires that people think through some unappealing tradeoffs. Herd immunity is an answer that admits no growth in our capabilities since ancient times, but there may be some aspects of it that can be used to invent a more creative solution. I can’t figure this out if I assume the “herd immunity” people are heartless monsters, or I categorically dismiss herd immunity as a concept.
The problem was that I caught monkey trap thinking. It’s a new epidemic that seems to be sweeping our nation. In a physical monkey trap, a monkey is enticed to grab a nut inside a box. Grabbing the nut makes their fist too big to pull out of the box. The monkey really wants the nut, and so they will refuse to let go of it. They become trapped and get captured (and still don’t get the nut).
In monkey trap thinking, people latch on to an approach to solving a problem, usually a moral one. The morality aspect intensifies their commitment to their particular approach, and that makes the trap. When people encounter something that suggests their approach has flaws, they don’t reevaluate and try to fix the problems but instead, redouble their commitment to its rightness.
Monkey trap thinking is virulent because it plays on universal emotions like shame, pride, and the need to belong. The media enjoys portraying the spread of this disease among communities known to be dedicated to a fault, such as the people who still support Trump after his policies have failed to bring them any clear benefit. Yet this disease also seems to have gotten quite a foothold in communities who espouse open-mindedness. In other words, it seems that everyone is susceptible to it, myself included.
Monkey trap thinking is very dangerous because when you have it, you can easily assume malice in those who may not agree with you. A trapped monkey is a scared monkey is an aggressive monkey. At the social level, it erodes civil discourse, social ties, and democracy. But even on a personal level, monkey trap thinking furthers the problems that the person wants to solve. The more the desire for the nut, the tighter the grasp, the more likely the monkey will get caught and not get the nut.
Trap mechanics
In my scientist-artist-judge framework (see figure 1), what you want is for the judge to notice a problem (COVID-19 is causing a pandemic) and then to enlist the scientist to help solve it (e.g., we have figured out that if we take precautions X, Y, and Z it will limit the pandemic). Of course, initial solutions are typically inadequate (the COVID-19 precautions have debilitated businesses and quality of life) so one must use their artist to create workarounds. However, those workarounds need to improve the situation (judge) and they have to actually work (scientist). Thus the scientist, artist, and judge *should* work together.
Monkey trap thinking means that the judge hijacks the process. It exploits the exact same process that limits creativity—committing to some set of assumptions prevents you from conceiving alternative approaches. Unfortunately, morality amplifies the effect. The more one feels morally righteous, the more the judge can shut down the artist (“We don’t need to entertain alternatives, I already know what needs to be done!”) and the scientist (“Your facts are not as strong as my belief!”).
Keep in mind that the artist, scientist, and judge are all within you, so people can get stuck in monkey trap thinking all by themselves. How many people do you know who keep themselves in bad jobs and/or relationships because of commitment to some “principle” that has long since become detrimental?
When problems involve other people, the situation gets much worse. Because monkey trap thinking uses judge-hijacked thinking, everything gets contaminated with moral overtones. Suggesting that a solution needs improvement can be seen as an attack on the person or their morality. Suggesting a different way to think can be seen as an invitation to compromise your principles. The less willing one is to change their mind, the less possible it is to learn how to solve a currently unsolved problem.
Getting out of the trap
What makes monkey trap thinking so difficult to fix is that others cannot argue you out of it. If you have it, you get an increased ability to rationalize and discredit opposing views. A person with monkey trap thinking can easily dismiss any evidence that contradicts their view and cannot imagine how their notions might be flawed. This is the judge co-opting the scientist/artist. The only way to get out of monkey trap thinking is to realize you are in one and then get your judge out of the way.
To see if you have been infected:
- Start with any polarizing issue (COVID, racism, the economy, religion, drug policy, whatever) where you are unhappy with the current solution. Ask yourself, “Do I know what we should do about this?” If you answer “yes,” add one point. If you answer “absolutely yes,” add two points.
- Find a person who does not accept your particular solution as you state it. If you can’t easily find one, add a point.
- Listen to the person’s alternative view and consider:
- How easy/natural is it for you to discredit their alternative? If you do so with little effort, add a point.
- Do you think that their alternative opinion contradicts what you value? If yes, add a point.
- Do you find yourself getting upset and/or disliking the person proposing the alternative? If yes, add a point.
- Total your points. The more points you have, the more likely you are to be afflicted with monkey trap thinking. I might suggest that below 2 you should not worry; 2-3 you might have a mild case; 4 or above, you should be concerned.
- How easy/natural is it for you to discredit their alternative? If you do so with little effort, add a point.
- Do you think that their alternative opinion contradicts what you value? If yes, add a point.
- Do you find yourself getting upset and/or disliking the person proposing the alternative? If yes, add a point.
Unfortunately, not all cases are curable. Monkey trap thinking can be like alcoholism—if the person does not want to change, no amount of external influence can change them. Luckily this is a small part of the population, even though media coverage might have us believe otherwise. The vast majority of people want a better world than the one we are in now. When we start by asking questions rather than assuming answers (or worse, assuming malice), it makes it easier to find out where you are wrong, and more importantly how you can fix it.
This article originally appeared on Psychology Today.
