Choiceology with Katy Milkman Why Starting Over Hurts
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Sep 22, 2025 
Join Clayton Critcher, a UC Berkeley marketing and psychology professor, as he delves into the fascinating concept of doubling-back aversion—the reluctance to start over even when it’s the best choice. He shares the story of the Panama Canal's costly mistakes due to this bias. Listeners learn practical strategies to overcome this instinct, such as reframing wasted efforts and adopting a more flexible mindset. It’s a compelling exploration of how our minds trick us into resisting the smart pivot.
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Local Conditions Made Excavation Exponential
- Panama's terrain, climate, and disease made sea-level excavation far harder than anticipated.
- Unstable geology, flash floods, and disease repeatedly derailed progress and raised costs.
Delay To Change Course Had Catastrophic Costs
- Lesseps delayed adopting a lock canal despite mounting evidence, inflating losses.
- His reluctance to backtrack contributed to financial ruin and tens of thousands of deaths.
Definition Of Doubling Back Aversion
- Clayton Critcher and Kristine Cho define 'doubling back aversion' as reluctance to undo progress even when more efficient.
- The concept generalizes across physical, travel, and work tasks.
