Mis-directions

In Why We Make Mistakes , I have a little fun pointing out how often people fail to follow the instructions that come with a variety of products, from nail guns to car seats. But if you want an even scarier example, check out today's story in The Wall Street Journal on drug labeling.

Drug labels are notoriously hard to read -- and often confusing for those who do read them. Not surprisingly, as many as three in four Americans say they don't take prescription medicine as directed. And in recent studies, more than half of adults misunderstood one or more common prescription warnings and precautions.

Often, this leads to a trip to the hospital. Nearly 1.9 million people were treated in hospitals for illnesses and injuries from taking medicines -- a 52% increase from 2004 to 2008.

One cure for confusion, of course, is simplicity. And one study shows -- what a shock! -- that patients better understood simple, explicit language. For example, "use only on your skin" is better understood than "for external use only."

So before you grab that bottle of pills, take some time to check the label.

The Dirty Truth

Question: Why do we keep making the same mistake over and over?

Answer: Because we fail to identify the root cause of the mistake to begin with -- a tendency researchers call, "misattribution."

Example: Washing your clothes. Say you get a stain on your shirt. You throw the shirt in the washing machine, add some detergent and 45 minutes later -- Voila! – the stain is still there.

You cuss. You holler. You kick the washing machine. Maybe you blame the detergent. But do you blame yourself? Nooooo. But maybe should.

According to a recent study in The Wall Street Journal, most Americans -- 53% -- don’t use the recommended amount of detergent per wash load. Instead they guess, usually filling the cap up to the top. This is a big mistake.

Why? Because detergent "overpouring" creates a high, foamy tide inside the machine, lifting soil and lint above the water level so it isn't rinsed away. That leaves residue on clothing that fades colors and attracts more dirt.

It’s also bad for your washing machine. Inside the machine, detergent buildup encourages odor and bacteria growth, and leads in time to wear and tear that will require professional attention.

So why do we do this? Because we don’t read the instructions. And why don’t we read the instructions? Because we think we know better. Most of us, the article reports, have done so many loads of laundry in our lives that we consider ourselves to be laundry experts. And experts don’t need no stinking instructions.

So there you have it: Ignorance and overconfidence all wrapped into one.

Class dismissed.

My Way

A poll published Thursday in Britain ranked the most popular songs played at funeral services.

Any guess what No. 1 was?

Yep: “My Way,” by Frank Sinatra.

In one sense, this is no surprise. We all like to do things our way. That’s why we hate reading (not to mention following) instructions: we’d much rather wing it. But this often leads to mistakes, not to mention frustration.

A few years ago, for instance, Subaru of America began to notice a rise in consumer complaints about the quality of its cars. When company executives looked into the situation, though, they found that the problem wasn’t with the cars; it was with the owners. They didn’t understand how the car worked…because they hadn’t read the manual! In fact, 1 out of 5 calls to Subaru’s call center involved a question answered in the owner’s manual.

The Subaru example isn’t unusual. Despite decades of public service advertisements stressing the importance of car seats (they can cut the risk of a child’s death from an auto accident by 71%), most car seats are still installed incorrectly. One recent federal study pegged the rate of “critical misuse” at 73% -- or nearly three out of every four.

Why would parents habitually make such a mistake?

“They can’t follow all the instructions,” says Larry Decina, the lead investigator on the car seat study. “Go to your car’s owner’s manual tonight. Look how many pages it is for car seat instructions…It’s like 17 pages. You think people are reading that? Maybe mommy looks at it. You think daddy does?”

No. He just does things his way.