Why it's sometimes best to do nothing.

Action bias can land you in regrettable situations. Here's how to avoid them.

Picture this: you’re waiting for an elevator, and the doors are taking forever to close. So, what do you do? Obviously, you hit that "close door" button like it owes you money.

Now, here's the thing: that button probably doesn’t even work. But it feels so good to press it because at least you're doing something. Welcome to the world of action bias—that relentless urge to act, even when doing nothing would be the smarter move.

And no, this isn’t about impulsivity, like sending a regrettable 1 a.m. text or buying a blender because you saw an Instagram ad for smoothies that look like happiness in a cup. Action bias is sneakier. It’s that feeling of needing to make moves, to fix things, to react—because, let's face it, doing nothing feels awkward, lazy, or worse, like you're not in control. And because you think doing nothing will make you look bad.

Why Doing Something Feels So Good (Even When It’s Dumb)

Let me throw this at you: imagine you’re a soccer goalie about to block a penalty kick. …