The Streetlight Effect

Observational bias is a trap people fall into when they only search for something where it is easiest to look. There is this old joke called the Streetlight Effect, or Drunkard’s Search Principle, that demonstrates this. It goes something like this:

A policeman sees a drunk man searching for something under a streetlight and asks what the drunk lost. He says that he lost his keys, so they both look under the streetlight together. After a few minutes, the policeman asks if he is sure he lost them here, and the drunk replies no and that he lost them in the park. The policeman asks why he is searching here, and the drunk replies, “This is where the light is.”

It might be easier to solve the problems of where the light shines. The first step is facing the problems right at the edge of our understanding. Right where the light ends, and the darkness begins. Perhaps then, we must find the courage to take a step into this unknown and let the light follow. And if we can do it once, we can do it again. If we keep moving a little further, maybe we will get to the park where we can face the real human problems of our world.