Iris Schneider

MT/Sprout, 02.09.2021 | Donovan van Heuven

“In een wereld die steeds complexer wordt, hebben we het meest aan ambivalente leiders. Zij maken minder denkfouten en nemen betere beslissingen. […] met betrekking tot leiderschap ziet Schneider dat er nog te weinig ruimte is voor ambivalentie: ‘Veel mensen hebben nog steeds dat beeld van de besluitvaardige leider die met de hand op tafel slaat. Maar dat is niet meer van deze tijd. Er zijn allerlei complexe situaties gaande, zoals de coronacrisis. Sommige leiders doen net of dit soort kwesties heel simpel zijn maar dat is juist helemaal niet zo.’ Met alles dat we weten over ambivalentie ligt het voor de hand dat ambivalente leiders complexe situaties beter overzien – en daarin dus betere beslissingen nemen – omdat zij nadenken over zowel de negatieve als de positieve kanten.” // Translation (by C-SEB): In an increasingly complex world, we benefit most from ambivalent leaders. They make fewer thinking errors and make better decisions. […] when it comes to leadership, Schneider believes there is still too little room for ambivalence: ‘Many people still have the image of the decisive leader who slams his hand on the table. But that is no longer appropriate. There are all kinds of complex situations, like the Corona crisis. Some leaders act as if these kinds of issues are very simple, but they are not at all.’ With all that we know about ambivalence, it is obvious that ambivalent leaders are better at monitoring complex situations – and thus making better decisions in them – because they consider both the negative and the positive sides.

Link to article: https://mtsprout.nl/work-life/ambivalenteleiders-%20maken-minder-denkfouten

Opinion Science Podcast, 12.04.2021 | Andy Luttrell & Iris Schneider

„Many topics are complicated and associated with benefits and costs. […] That can make people feel discomfort. […] When they try to resolve that, they might take less than optimal strategies. […] Because you oversimplify the choice, or you make the wrong choice just to make a choice. […] The polarization that we see all across Europe and the U.S. [shows] that maybe having strong attitudes that are only black or only white is not always the best thing.”

Link to article: http://opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/ambivalence-with-iris-schneider/

PSYCHE, 10.03.2021 | Iris Schneider

Even though ambivalence is a common experience, as a concept it’s frequently misunderstood. It doesn’t mean that you don’t care about something or that you’re indifferent. Ambivalence refers to the presence of strong feelings, but in opposition. […] Apart from making you think more, ambivalence can also make you think better. […] Training yourself to have a more ambivalent mindset will allow you to benefit from more cognitive flexibility and less bias in your ideas and decisions.[…] In fact, feeling ambivalent reflects that you have a balanced and nuanced view of things that’s more in tune with the complexity and multifaceted nature of reality..“

Link to article: https://psyche.co/ideas/the-fence-is-uncomfortable-but-it-affords-the-best-view

PsyPost, 11.02.2021 | Eric W. Dolan

„People who tend to experience mixed feelings are less likely to fall prey to two common cognitive biases, according to new research published in the British Journal of Social Psychology. […] “I think we live in a time where there is a lot of emphasis on ‘strong’ opinions and people who are very ‘certain’ about their stances, leading to division and polarization,” said study author Iris K. Schneider, a professor of social and economic cognition at the University of Cologne. […] In four studies, Schneider and her colleagues examined the relationship between ambivalence and two cognitive biases. […] “I believe there are benefits to ambivalence, especially in a world that is so polarized,” Schneider added.“

Link to article: https://www.psypost.org/2021/02/new-psychology-research-indicates-that-ambivalent-people-make-less-biased-judgments-59611