Time-Saving Bias
We overestimate time saved when increasing speed from a low base and underestimate from a high base.
Time-saving bias is a bias in which people underestimate the time that could be saved (or lost) when increasing (or reducing) the speed of a vehicle. People believe that increasing from 25 mph to 50 mph saves more time than increasing from 50 mph to 100 mph over the same distance, when mathematically the second increase saves more time. This distorts decisions about speed, efficiency, and travel planning.
What it looks like in the wild.
- Everyday life Speed Estimation Drivers overestimate the time they save by going from 30 mph to 40 mph on city roads, not realizing that the bigger time gains come from highway-speed increases.
Recognising a definition is not the same skill as spotting it.
Two scenarios from the app, with distractors drawn from the same family of biases — which is what makes them hard.
She decides to pay for express shipping on a gift, thinking it will save her a whole day of worry, when standard shipping was already arriving just one day later.
She rearranges her entire kitchen to put the kettle closer to the sink, expecting to save minutes every morning, when the original setup only added a few seconds per task.
Biases rarely arrive alone.
Understand more. Assume less.
188 biases, 18,869 scenarios, and a record of how you actually decide.
Get Debias on Google Play