[calinet6]

Ironically, it can often turn out that the latter is, in fact, more optimal.

Sometimes stochasticity makes better decisions than we possibly can. Do not limit yourself to logic alone—it describes such a very small subset of human possibility.

[olalonde]

This. I faced an interesting paradox a few years ago when I first learned about opportunity cost. I found myself explicitly analyzing every trivial decisions in terms of opportunity cost and eventually realized that constantly thinking about opportunity cost was costing me opportunities. In other words, the opportunity cost of caring about opportunity cost is most often not worth it.

[calinet6]

Yes! This is most of what I take from the ideas of Zen: that trying too hard at something ruins the final result.

How I describe this to the gaming generation is through a common shared experience. Remember that one time you spent 3 hours trying to beat that one level in that one game, then finally got frustrated and gave up, only to return the next day and beat it on your first try in 3 minutes? Zen.

The paradox makes no sense logically, yet it exists.

Moral: don't get in your own way—stop thinking too much about why and how and just do!