obbias

Obbias is a term used in discussions of decision making to describe a hypothetical cognitive bias in which potential obstacles are given disproportionate psychological weight when evaluating actions. This tends to cause individuals to overestimate the difficulty of pursuing a course of action, resulting in overly cautious or even paralyzed decisions, even when the expected benefits outweigh the risks.

Etymology and origin: The name combines obstacle and bias and is used primarily in theoretical discussions of cognitive science and behavioral economics. It lacks a single standardized definition across disciplines and is described in different ways depending on context.

Mechanisms: Obbias can arise from salience-based processing, risk-averse heuristics, and framing effects. When obstacles dominate memory or perception, decision-makers may anchor on worst-case scenarios and discount the likelihood of success.

Contexts and manifestations: In everyday life, obbias can lead to procrastination, over-planning, and reluctance to commit to actions. In organizations and product development, it can slow progress as teams overemphasize blockers rather than opportunities.

Relation to other biases and criticisms: Obbias overlaps with status quo bias and loss aversion, yet empirical validation remains limited. Some scholars warn that the construct risks duplicating existing biases; others argue it provides a useful lens for explaining paralysis in novel or high-stakes tasks.

See also: status quo bias, loss aversion, planning fallacy, action bias, decision fatigue.