No they don't !!!!!
Ostriches don't bury their heads in the sand—they wouldn't be able to breathe! But they do dig holes in the dirt to use as nests for their eggs. Several times a day, a bird puts her head in the hole and turns the eggs. So it really does look like the birds are burying their heads in the sand!
So that's clear - they don't bury their heads in the sand!
However, it seems that Humans Do - and it's not just about prevarication, it's about ... well you tell me?
Burying one's head in the sand, is the metaphor we use to describe a behaviour that is, in effect, refusing to consider change or refusing to consider a particular situation.
If I can't see, it doesn't exist!
Well that seems to be the reasoning.
But WHY?
A study published in the Social and Personality Psychology Compass Journal (2013) suggests that people are actively motivated to avoid information.
The studies author Dr Thomas Webb from Sheffield University said:
"The ostrich problem is the idea that there are times when people would rather not know how they're doing."
'Avoiding monitoring may allow people to escape from negative feelings associated with an accurate appraisal of progress.
'For example, people might not want to know how much money they have spent or what their partner thinks of their social skills."
He called this behaviour 'motivated inattention.'
In NLP there is a presupposition that EVERY behaviour has a positive intent for the individual, and it according to Dr Webb 'motivated inattention' is a way to avoid negative feelings, often of guilt, which accompany being presented with reality.
'The ostrich problem is the idea that there are times when people would rather not know how they're doing. Avoiding monitoring may allow people to escape from negative feelings associated with an accurate appraisal of progress.'
In a previous study (2012) it was noted that...
...only 10 per cent of people who worry about their finances daily check their bank balance at least once a month.
...there was a high incidence of people with diabetes avoiding monitoring their blood glucose.
The notion that 'ignorance is bliss' is perhaps, in our terms, a limiting belief system. After all, if you are not willing to look at the patterns of change around you or a situation which needs a difficult decision, then you are not really taking an active part in your own life.
Susan Davids book, Emotional Agility, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life, makes a related point about positive thinking. She suggests that positive thinking could be just another way of 'burying your head in the sand'.
As I explore in my forthcoming book, The Secret to Your Future History, affirmations and positivity can be 'plasters' and not solutions to any personal situation.
Susan David talks about a 'positive thinking rut' which can actually stop us looking at the nature of change around us, and stop us from 'taking control' and 'making active choices' in our own lives.
So if you are in danger of being that 'Ostrich' here's some tips...
a) LOOK at your emotions and consider those that you resist looking at. Your emotions are important, how you manage them especially so. Learn to be present and notice what is happening around you.
b) STAND BACK, try to take a 3rd Person look at what is going on around you. Be an observer of your situation and reactions. Notice any repeating patterns, any less than useful behaviours.
c) REFLECT upon the bigger picture of your goals, dreams and ambitions. Having a broader perspective may actually help you frame more empowering choices.
d) ACT, make some clear choices, take some considered action in order to put yourself in the driving seat of your own life. In some ways there are choices you can make about whether you are always being tossed around on the stormy seas of life , or whether you are sailing towards a calmer harbour.
Alan
So that's clear - they don't bury their heads in the sand!
However, it seems that Humans Do - and it's not just about prevarication, it's about ... well you tell me?
Burying one's head in the sand, is the metaphor we use to describe a behaviour that is, in effect, refusing to consider change or refusing to consider a particular situation.
If I can't see, it doesn't exist!
Well that seems to be the reasoning.
But WHY?
A study published in the Social and Personality Psychology Compass Journal (2013) suggests that people are actively motivated to avoid information.
The studies author Dr Thomas Webb from Sheffield University said:
"The ostrich problem is the idea that there are times when people would rather not know how they're doing."
'Avoiding monitoring may allow people to escape from negative feelings associated with an accurate appraisal of progress.
'For example, people might not want to know how much money they have spent or what their partner thinks of their social skills."
He called this behaviour 'motivated inattention.'
In NLP there is a presupposition that EVERY behaviour has a positive intent for the individual, and it according to Dr Webb 'motivated inattention' is a way to avoid negative feelings, often of guilt, which accompany being presented with reality.
'The ostrich problem is the idea that there are times when people would rather not know how they're doing. Avoiding monitoring may allow people to escape from negative feelings associated with an accurate appraisal of progress.'
In a previous study (2012) it was noted that...
...only 10 per cent of people who worry about their finances daily check their bank balance at least once a month.
...there was a high incidence of people with diabetes avoiding monitoring their blood glucose.
The notion that 'ignorance is bliss' is perhaps, in our terms, a limiting belief system. After all, if you are not willing to look at the patterns of change around you or a situation which needs a difficult decision, then you are not really taking an active part in your own life.
Susan Davids book, Emotional Agility, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life, makes a related point about positive thinking. She suggests that positive thinking could be just another way of 'burying your head in the sand'.
As I explore in my forthcoming book, The Secret to Your Future History, affirmations and positivity can be 'plasters' and not solutions to any personal situation.
Susan David talks about a 'positive thinking rut' which can actually stop us looking at the nature of change around us, and stop us from 'taking control' and 'making active choices' in our own lives.
So if you are in danger of being that 'Ostrich' here's some tips...
a) LOOK at your emotions and consider those that you resist looking at. Your emotions are important, how you manage them especially so. Learn to be present and notice what is happening around you.
b) STAND BACK, try to take a 3rd Person look at what is going on around you. Be an observer of your situation and reactions. Notice any repeating patterns, any less than useful behaviours.
c) REFLECT upon the bigger picture of your goals, dreams and ambitions. Having a broader perspective may actually help you frame more empowering choices.
d) ACT, make some clear choices, take some considered action in order to put yourself in the driving seat of your own life. In some ways there are choices you can make about whether you are always being tossed around on the stormy seas of life , or whether you are sailing towards a calmer harbour.
Alan
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