Mammalian brain · Storytelling & Archetypes
The Unlikely Catalyst
Attributing a complex success to one simple cause or hero; the narrative fallacy makes the story satisfying and the lesson wrong.
An everyday example
'The whole turnaround came from one email' — omitting the market recovery and the twelve other changes.
What it can cost you
Copying the catalyst and missing the conditions.
Warning signs
- The story has one hero.
- I am about to copy the one thing.
One thing to do
Ask what else changed at the same time; require at least three causes before accepting any.
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